The Snake's Den
by KassandraK
Summary: Hermione likes to run at night, but Snape doesn't approve.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from HP.**

Hermione Granger liked to run at night. Ever since the end of the war and the outstanding victory among her peers and colleagues, she had taken a liking to suiting up past 12AM, creeping out of her dormitory and running right along the skirts of the Forbidden Forest every night. Of course with her Head Girl privileges she was allowed to be out later than the other students, but even the Head Girl had a curfew which was unfortunately a bit too early for her liking. The professors and the newly revived Headmaster Snape had all decided that the Head Girl and Head Boy were to be in bed strictly by 11PM after their nightly patrol duties. Hermione grimaced at the thought of coming back to her common room to find Malfoy waiting for her again.

Their relationship had changed drastically since the end of the war. Malfoy had decided to come back to school for their final year and had decidedly become less of a prat with each day. He had offered a mostly sincere apology to the Golden Trio the day he came back and Hermione hadn't looked back ever since. Now it seemed he was more of a brother than even Harry or Ron, who still didn't trust the blonde boy to this day. Hermione huffed as she made a sharp turn during her run, ducking quickly into the Forbidden Forest and shuffling quietly into a large shrub. She scowled, brushing away the small bugs that had crawled on her when she invaded their home. Her frown quickly turned into a grin though as a figure walked quickly right in front of her, completely oblivious to her even being there.

Hagrid, the gamekeeper of the school, was shuffling along towards his cozy little cottage, a strange looking animal struggling in his massive hands for freedom. "Calm down there, ya little monster! We'll find yer mummy soon enough!"

She recognized it as a baby hippogriff, whining in his arms as he held onto it tight, ducking into his cabin. Hagrid really could be a mother hen sometimes when it came to wounded and lost animals—and students too sometimes.

She quickly jumped out of the shrubs and continued her brisk jog, the telltale signs of perspiration plastering her frizzy hair to her forehead. Hermione ignored the fine sheen of sweat forming on her lithe body. Since the hunting for horcruxes, she had physically changed drastically. Her face had narrowed slightly, losing all signs of childish chub at the cheeks. Her lips plumped and her dainty nose complimented her mature eyes. Sometimes she wondered if she really was just a teenager when she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Then again, no one caught in the midst of the war looked their age anymore. The battles took years from their youthful eyes and had worn away at the childhood they should have experienced.

Her body had matured rapidly through the last year as well, her bust filling out nicely and her hips widening to maturity. Through all the running and frequent exercise she experienced, her arms, belly, and thighs were tight with muscle though she remained feminine and lithe.

She was mostly grateful for the cloak that covered her body so she wouldn't have to deal with the gossip behind her back. She'd had enough of that already just for coming back to school with Harry and Ron. Of course she'd been given the opportunity to work for the Ministry and be and Auror, but through all the battles and conquests she'd realized that it wasn't what she wanted at all. She wanted to help people and the only way she knew how without hurting anyone else in the process was to become a healer. Poppy Pomfrey had of course taken Hermione under her wing and Hermione couldn't be any more grateful. The woman was a bit stern, but loving underneath her scolding words. She often saw Headmaster Snape in the hospital wing, still healing from the fatal bite to his throat from Nagini during the night of the final battle. He always ignored her completely, never bothering to say hello back to her or even making eye contact. She chalked it up to possibly humiliation at the fact that he was bed ridden for the time being or the fact that it was she who had dragged him up to the hospital wing as soon as she possibly could.

Hermione rounded the corner of the school, glancing down at her watch. It was already coming close to 1AM and she had been running for almost an hour now. She sighed, wiping off her forehead and stepping quickly into the corridors of the dimly lit school, her wary eyes peeled for any professors that might be patrolling the halls at this late hour. It just wouldn't do to find the Head Girl wandering about the castle this late. It was too suspicious—especially so closely after the war. She snuck quietly through the castle, almost reaching her common room before she bumped unceremoniously into a large cloaked figure.

Whoever it was managed to catch her by the wrist before she could unceremoniously fall onto the ground. Expecting to look up and see Malfoy chastising her, she already started her small ranting speech. "Yeah ferret, I know I'm late. I just got caught up thinking about—oh." She started, dusting off and turning to snap at the scolding blonde Slytherin. Instead, her gaze met with a level onyx glare. Headmaster Snape's observation of her was cold and filled with scrutiny at her obviously sweaty and scantily clad form. She realized now that she was only wearing spandex shorts and a form fitting tank top that was darkened in the bust area by her sweat.

Snape's eyes quickly took in her appearance with a bit of surprise of his face, probably because no one ever saw her without her cloak on. He quickly masked it with indifference and possibly disgust. Since the final battle, she hadn't seen Snape up close like this. His recovery from the snake bite of Nagini was slow and painful, she had heard. This was the first time she had seen him outside of the hospital wing since he had been brought in under Poppy's care that night. She glanced quickly at his neck and noticed the bite marks had been glamoured over. He caught her gaze, growling lowly in his throat.

"What was that you called me, Miss Granger? A ferret if I heard correctly?" he hissed in a low seething voice, his grip on her wrist tightening fractionally before he let her go. She backed up slowly, her hands up in submission.

"I'm sorry Headmaster. I know I'm not supposed to be out, but I just wanted a quick run to clear my…" she started rambling and he quickly cut her off.

"Twenty five points from Gryffindor for calling the Headmaster a ferret, another twenty five for being out after hours, and ten more for sheer stupidity. Do you realize the gravity of the situation, Granger?"

She shook her head, her lips squeezed tightly shut as he deducted precious house points. Any more words from her and she dreaded that they would all be gone by tomorrow.

"If you had run into someone else wearing that disgusting display of an outfit, there is a strong possibility that you could have been violated and no one would be here to assist you, you insolent chit!" he snarled.

Hermione scowled inside at the audacity of the Headmaster. It wasn't like she couldn't defend herself. He of all people should know that. But she held her tongue, nodding and looking down at her tennis shoes, her hands falling down by her sides and brushing against her hips.

"Detention for the next week with me Granger. You will come to the potions laboratory promptly after dinner each night and we will see what kind of punishment is suitable for your unacceptable behavior." He hissed once more before storming away, his black cloak billowing dramatically behind him, leaving Hermione standing before her common room, fuming with anger.

She stomped her way to the door, whispered her password, and let herself in.

"Where have you been Hermione?!" Malfoy's voice was the first to ring through her ears. He stood from the lumpy sofa by the fireplace, running his hands through his platinum blonde hair and approaching her with a worried expression on his face. His usually immaculate clothing was crumpled and his hair was messy. He had been waiting up for her.

She sighed, shaking her head and turning to walk to her room. Malfoy wasn't even affected by her sweaty form or revealing running outfit. He'd seen it every night since they'd come back to class. "I'm sorry Draco. I was just out running, thinking about everything and the time flew by me. To top it all off, Snape caught me just outside the common room and deducted 60 points. Plus I have detention for a week now! I just don't know how else I can burn off this extra energy though, Draco. I just like to run at night! That's all it is." She sighed, exasperatedly sitting on the edge of her bed.

Malfoy stood right at the entrance, leaning against the frame of the door, his shoulders shaking with laughter. "You know Mudblood, you deserve it for sneaking around all these nights. Maybe you should just stop running at night and opt for an early morning instead." Malfoy suggested. Hermione didn't even flinch at the rude nickname. It had become so familiar with them both that it didn't mean anything anymore, much like her 'Ferret' nickname for him. It almost made her happy, knowing they had these inside jokes. All the girls in the school swooned at the sight of Malfoy and his godlike physique. It was almost as good as her own. Only Malfoy really knew what she looked like underneath her baggy cloak and all her books. He liked to flaunt himself to the girls, but she knew that he could never actually date any of them seriously because he was, in fact, gay. He'd revealed it to her as soon as their trust was formed and she swore she would take it to the grave with her.

"Oh shut it Malfoy. I need sleep." She sighed, kicking off her shoes and peeling off her tank top, a black compression bra beneath hugging her tightly. Malfoy shrugged indifferently as she undressed, turning to walk away but not before getting in a final word.

"You worry me, Hermione. I just don't want to see you get hurt because of your stupid habit of running at night. It's just not safe."

"You sound like Snape." She snapped back at him and he grinned devilishly at her before heading towards his own room to sleep off the night.

Hermione shut her door and peeled off her sweaty clothing and climbing into her shower, blasting it at hot as she could tolerate. She was still frustrated with her loss of house points and weeks' worth of detention, but Malfoy's words rung through her. Maybe she should just take her runs in the morning instead. It would save a lot of trouble, but it would undoubtedly stir gossip among the students. She could hear it already. _Oh, look at Granger! How did she get that body? I wonder if she's been sleeping with Malfoy. I'm sure he puts her to work. Blah blah blah…_

No. She just couldn't do it. She couldn't freely exercise in comfort knowing that they were all talking about her behind her back. She would just have to talk to Snape about it during detention. Perhaps they could work out a schedule for her to be out a bit later than usual to complete her exercise regimen. She was Head Girl after all. It wasn't like she couldn't handle herself. It wasn't like she was out fraternizing with boys or drinking. She was intelligent and completely trustworthy. Of course he would have to understand. _Yeah, right._ She scowled at her inner monologue, climbing out of the shower and slipping into her nightgown, utterly exhausted from all the excitement of the night. _More like dread._ She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

/

Severus Snape billowed away from the young Head Girl, his mind swirling with confused and inappropriate thoughts. Night patrol was already absolutely horrendous, but running into _her _made it so much worse. Why did it have to be her? The fateful night of his supposed-to-be-death was something that he was almost looking forward to. Years of spying and constant aggravation by students, Dumbledore, and Voldemort had worn him to the core and he welcomed death in that moment. Unfortunately Granger had to be the noble lioness and drag his draining carcass all the way to Poppy, who was tending to other wounded students and faculty. Severus had become her number one patient and he begrudgingly took her potions and medication without a whine, only hoping to get out as soon as possible.

The weeks passed and Granger returned to Hogwarts with her annoyingly wretched friends which now included his godson Draco. Severus paused slightly in his step to think about that strange relationship. Draco hadn't mentioned any attraction to the girl, but Severus had an inkling that Draco wasn't exactly attracted to young witches anyway even though he boasted and grinned at them in public. Severus never mentioned a word of it to Lucius simply to protect the boy from any other harsh punishment than what he already had to endure. He would stand by his godson regardless of the circumstances.

Granger and the two imbeciles had come to visit him during his long period in the hospital wing, but he had snapped at them all and the boys had not returned since. He had hoped for it. But Miss Granger, the honorable Gryffindor that she was, kept coming back. Poppy had seemed to take her under her motherly wing, teaching her about Healers and how to step in her footsteps to become a successful Healer. He would never admit it, but Granger was becoming quite the excellent apprentice. Poppy hadn't failed to mention that Granger would need proper potions training to continue her education in becoming a Healer. Severus grimaced at the thought of the know-it-all in his lab, prattling on about how she knew every damned thing. The only thing he was looking forward to was shutting that pretty mouth with his own superior knowledge. _Pretty?_ He scowled at the thought as he continued his way through his patrols.

_Damn her. This week of detention will be hell for the both of us._ His mood only worsened as she kept popping up in his head in that skimpy outfit, her surprisingly perfect body a sight he couldn't deny as pleasing to the eye. Who knew the bookworm of the Golden Trio was gorgeous underneath the heavy fabric of her cloak? But she was a student and he was the Headmaster. He hadn't allowed himself the pleasure of any woman since Lily and it would remain that way 'til death. His heart, as cold and shrunken as it was, still ached for Lily. He felt himself sink to an all new low of anger and frustration. This was not becoming of the Headmaster. He had always been cool, calm, and utterly collected. He refused to allow that to change just because of a sudden increase in testosterone. There would be no unneeded attention shown to Granger.

He rounded the corner to find two Hufflepuffs hidden behind a large gargoyle statue, the young girl moaning like a cat in heat. It was appalling and absolutely disgusting. He quickly pulled them apart and wordlessly spelled their clothing back on, deducting house points from their house. They quickly scampered back to their dorms and he knew that wouldn't be the last that he would see of them. Why did students have to be so ill-bred and consistently boorish in their attempts to pursue sexual relations? He wistfully allowed himself a moment to consider back when romancing wasn't all about having sex behind a gargoyle and more about actual wooing.

It was getting late, but he could still hear the telltale giggling of schoolgirls and horny boys prattling around the school. Being a spy for so long allowed him that enhanced hearing. Sometimes it felt like a curse. Almost every insult said behind his back he could clearly hear and the students wondered why he hated them so much. The only person that ever actually defended him through it all was Draco. He sighed, briskly continuing his patrol around the castle and the grounds. It was a long and dreary night, but students still somehow managed to stay out. He continued to deduct points—sometimes more than necessary to make his point—and send the thoroughly embarrassed students on their way.

Before he knew it, it was already coming close to 2AM and he had a morning class at 8AM. He quickly rounded towards the closest floo entrance made especially for him and was on his way back to the sanctuary of his quarters. It had been a long, long night. He quickly took a shower and was in bed before 2:30, his mind still lingering on the thoughts of Granger, Draco, and the petulant students he would have to deal with the next day. Even through all of it, he could only feel a small sense of gratefulness that the war was actually finally over. It had given him time to think over all the things he was missing out on.

He had the time now to do what he truly loved—DADA. Though he was still teaching potions classes, he had given himself the privilege of teaching the 7th year students Defense Against the Dark Arts. Though he begrudgingly found himself seeing more students than he wanted, it gave him the time to properly train them. With the substitute wizard leaving the school tomorrow, the students would begin their real DADA class with him as their professor. The replacement wizard had also taken his potions classes which he was now ready to resume.

Severus felt his head begin to lull back into sleep and he welcomed the darkness that threatened to consume him.

/

Morning had never been so horrid. Hermione jolted from her bed as soon as she'd laid eyes on her bedside clock which was now showing in blaring red lights 'LATE FOR CLASS'. She clambered out of bed and hastily brushed her teeth and pulled her messy hair back into an acceptable braid, throwing on her running outfit for later and putting her cloak on afterwards, easily hiding herself beneath it.

"Damn it, Hermione! Are you up yet?!" Malfoy's voice rang from outside, his arm banging roughly on the door.

"Yeah! Shut up ferret!" She snapped from within, quickly grabbing her books and opening the door for Malfoy. He stood there as immaculate as ever, quickly reaching out to help her with her massive amounts of books.

"Snape is teaching today and we are late." Malfoy said and she rolled her eyes at the obvious statement. He offered her a small conniving smile before they ran to class together, going in at the same time. The low, calm voice of Snape greeted them and they froze in their spots at the door.

"Well, look who has decided to grace us with their presence. Ten points from Gryffindor and Slytherin for tardiness. Take your seats Granger, Malfoy." He reprimanded, not even bothering to look up at them as he walked up and down the aisles of students with large cauldrons before them. Hermione and Draco quickly took seats next to Harry and Ron. Draco opted to sit as far away from them as possible, putting Hermione between them for distance. The four of them started their potions in silence, not wanting to put Snape into an even worse mood. Today they were continuing their studies on a healing potion from the previous substitute wizard. Hermione actually enjoyed this portion of class the most—getting hands on experience in brewing a potion that may help others. Hermione kept her head down for the most part as she started chopping her ingredients, but her she couldn't help but glance up quickly at the shiny new Snape.

The Headmaster looked surprisingly good. His hair was no longer greasy, nor was he looking like he had only two hours of sleep each night. He still wore his intimidating long black cloak buttoned all the way up to his neck, but his figure beneath seemed more full and healthy now than the frail man he had been before. The end of the war had taken years off of his face and he was starting to look like a new man, but no one would dare mention it to him in fear that he would hex them on the spot.

"Why were you late 'Mione?" Harry asked as quietly as possible when Snape was at the farthest corner of the room. Hermione sighed softly, dropping bat wings into her cauldron and watching it bubble happily before she answered.

"I overslept." She answered solemnly and her two friends audibly gasped.

"You woke up… late? Has that ever happened, mate?" Ron asked Harry incredulously, a goofy grin on his boyish face. His own potion was bubbling ferociously and Hermione eyed it suspiciously, wondering what he had done wrong.

"He dropped in an extra wing." Malfoy snickered beside her and she couldn't help the soft snort of laughter that pealed through her as Ron's eyes widened at his boiling potion, the remnants of which were threatening to spill over and burn him.

"Weasley! Back away, you insolent fool!" Snape appeared behind them within seconds, his wand drawn. The brooding professor quickly and efficiently contained the would-be explosion, deducting more points from Gryffindor for Ron's carelessness. Hermione and the rest of the group bit their tongues as Snape bid Ron from the rest of the class session. Of course her potion was absolutely perfect, as was Malfoy's and Harry's with a bit of her help. They were just about to walked out of potions class unscathed before Snape's cool voice called to Hermione.

"Miss Granger. I need not remind you of you detention tonight. Do try to be on time, lest you wish for a more grueling punishment." He drawled, his eyes not even bothering to meet hers as he spoke. She nodded quickly and left with her confused friends.

"What was that about 'Mione?" Harry asked on the way out, brushing past Malfoy completely and ignoring him. Draco snorted and walked away, heading to his next class.

"I have detention for the next week with the Headmaster. Don't ask." She replied in an aggravated voice, wondering why it bothered her so much anyway that Snape couldn't even address her properly. Harry remained silent, taking heed to her frustrated words. They went to the next few classes together without much incident. Before she knew it, Hermione was heading off towards dinner.

It was again, uneventful. She sat in silence as her friends chattered on about classes and how great Snape was looking. A few girls already had a crush on him and she couldn't blame them. His recovery had been magnificent. She glanced at Malfoy, who sat with a wry grin on his face at the Slytherin table. The girls there were hanging onto his arms, but he winked at Hermione who then flipped him off from her table with a knowing grin.

Snape wasn't like Dumbledore with many announcements and twinkling eyes. He let Professor McGonagall take the reins with those and she happily did, announcing exciting news about the Quidditch schedule and tryouts that were to start the next week. She even introduced Snape as the returning Headmaster, which was greeted with awkward clapping and hushed whispers and the occasional fawning girl. He only rolled his eyes and waved his hand in a shooing motion for her to continue. Once, and only once, did his eyes meet with Hermione's. They were a steely onyx, cold and calculating as he examined her for the briefest moment. His regard to her almost made her shiver with his intensity.

As the students began to file in for the rest of the night, Hermione couldn't help the dread that filled her with the thought of spending a detention with Professor Snape—especially in his new and improved state. He seemed more alert and ready than ever. She headed quietly towards the potions lab, stopping at the door. She could hear the scratching of his quill on paper from within the room, probably giving failing grades to a multitude of students. Taking a long quick breath, she closed her hand around the doorknob and entered into the room to face Severus Snape.

**A/N: So I've been having writers block with my other Hermione/Jasper fic in the Twilight/HP crossover section. I thought I'd just whip this up really quickly and see how the feedback comes on it to see if I'll continue. Let me know if there are any ideas for how this first detention could go! Thanks for reading, please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in Harry Potter.

_Previously: As the students began to file in for the rest of the night, Hermione couldn't help the dread that filled her with the thought of spending a detention with Professor Snape—especially in his new and improved state. He seemed more alert and ready than ever. She headed quietly towards the potions lab, stopping at the door. She could hear the scratching of his quill on paper from within the room, probably giving failing grades to a multitude of students. Taking a long quick breath, she closed her hand around the doorknob and entered into the room to face Severus Snape._

/

"I commend you for knocking, Miss Granger." Severus drawled sarcastically as Hermione walked through the door. She stopped in the tracks, her face screwing up in annoyance.

"Sorry." She mumbled quietly. "What will my punishment be, professor?"

"My storage room in is desperate need of a good cleaning. You will dust it from top to bottom without your wand tonight. If I see so much as one vial of potion missing or out of place, you still stay longer than needed." He replied nonchalantly, scratching off another failing grade on a poorly written essay. "After that is done, you shall assist me in finalizing these grades. The first, second, and third year students need their papers graded. I assume you are more an adequate to fulfill my needs."

Hermione's brows knitted up confusion at his last request. Cleaning? Well, that was expected of his detentions, but grading papers was something else completely. It was almost an indirect compliment coming from him. He actually trusted her with grading papers and she beamed inside from it. Maybe he was going a little soft after all. Snape wasn't such a horrid man after all. He had saved countless lives in the war effort and had a never failing loyalty to Dumbledore. Who could hate someone like that, even if he was an old bat sometimes?

"Yes, sir." She replied dutifully and stepped towards him, pulling out her wand and leaving it on his desk. It was such a small movement that she almost didn't catch it, but he tensed as she put down her wand. Did their close proximity really bother him so much? She shrunk inwardly at the thought, hoping she didn't make him uneasy. It was the last thing she wanted.

Hermione turned around and headed towards the storage room, wincing as she opened the room and gaped in horror at the mess within. Everything was indeed in order and placed neatly on shelves, but cobwebs and dirt were thickly layered upon each shelf. She grabbed the nearby ladder and wet a rag with soap, starting her task of cleaning the dirty room. She made sure that she took care in the vials of precious ingredients that littered the shelves, making sure to keep them in the correct order as she made her way down each shelf. But the time she was half way down, it had become increasingly hot in the room.

Sweat beaded her forehead and she pushed her hair out of the way, pulling it from her braid up into a messy high bun on her head. She turned to glance over at Professor Snape, who seemed quite concentrated on his paper grading. The door was slightly ajar and she could barely see him, so she assumed he could barely see her as well. With that thought comforting her, she undid her cloak and dropped it onto the floor, wishing now that she had worn something more decent other than her running outfit. She had forgotten about her detention while getting ready in the morning and had thrown on her usual outfit. She knew now to plan better. It would be a decent top and jeans tomorrow.

/

Severus tensed as she put her wand down on his desk. Why in Merlin's name did she smell so good? It was a strangely intoxicating mix of musky woods and vanilla and he knew deep down that it wasn't just a perfume, it was her actual scent. She turned to walk away and he couldn't help but glance up at her retreating form into his storage room and almost felt regret for making her clean the whole thing. _Almost._ He thought wryly, and continued his grading. Slash after slash of red marks littered each paper and he wanted to set fire to all of these horrible papers. Why did he even bother trying to teach students that didn't even listen to his explicit directions? One inch margins, double-spaced, neatly written, and at least a twelve inch paper. Was it really so hard to follow? He growled as he slashed away another paper and moved on, recognizing Grangers perfect script on a neatly cut piece of parchment. He read it over carefully, his lip curling into a sneer at her near perfect paper. He marked off her one mistake, but found himself staring at her work longer than necessary.

He quickly put it off to the side, chancing another glance up at her. His mouth nearly gaped open as he watched her drop her cloak to reveal another candid exercise outfit beneath it. Her lean arms rippled with tense muscle as she wiped away at shelf after shelf and he felt his breath hitch for a moment in his throat before he cleared it loudly enough for her to turn around, her face red with embarrassment as she met his level gaze.

"Professor, is there something wrong?" she asked and he almost wanted to laugh at her stupid question.

"Granger, you will get down from that ladder and put your cloak back on. Have some decency, girl. Since you obviously can't clean the storage room without sweating like a pig, you will come and assist me with grading now. The cleaning can be finished tomorrow."

She quickly scurried down from the ladder and snapped her cloak up from the floor, slipping into it quickly and covering herself, her face still completely red with embarrassment. She quickly took a seat beside the professor without another word, sighing inside as she watched him tense once more before continuing his grading. She picked up one of his quills gingerly, dipping into the red ink and starting on the first years papers. She found that with each continued red mark, she felt more and more agitated with the carelessness of the students. She angrily scratched off each and every paper with a failing grade, not even glancing over at Professor Snape who was watching her with amused eyes.

"Something wrong, Miss Granger?" he asked, finishing off his pile of sixth year papers.

"How can they be so ignorant? These are simple papers that you ask for. I don't understand how each student could be so… ugh!" she snorted in anger, slashing red across another paper before stacking the failed papers in one large pile. She was only able to pass a handful of students and she found that with each pile the passing students were consistent in their work. At least there were some that paid attention.

"You now can understand my frustrations, Miss Granger." He replied quietly as he moved on to the next stack. They graded like this in comfortable silence for the next hour, Hermione sinking into her seat when she finally finished. Her hand was aching from the effort of scratching off each paper and her head was throbbing from the frustration and rush of energy she endured each night. She desperately needed a run right now to clear her mind and body.

"Madame Pomfrey has brought it to my attention that you will need tutoring in creating certain healing potions. Since I am the only suitable wizard in the school to teach you…"

"Thank you, Headmaster." She quickly cut him off from his obviously awkward acceptance to take her in as an apprentice of sorts for the time being.

He nodded quickly, standing from his desk and handing her wand back, quickly using and 'Accio' to pull a cauldron forward. "We still start tonight. Your detention will continue with cleaning for the rest of the week. After that, you will continue to come to this lab promptly after dinner every other day starting Sunday. We will stay as long as we need to for you to grasp the concepts of brewing more complicated healing potions."

She nodded as she watched him pull out various ingredients from his stock room, smiling slightly as he put them in corresponding order. He was almost as much as a neat freak as she was. He promptly chopped and crushed ingredients with masterful hands, dropping them into a bubbling potion as he described each one and how they worked. She dutifully took notes and watched in awe as the potions master gave her a personal lesson. This specific potion was poured directly on to severe cuts and hemorrhages. If brewed correctly, it would heal them within seconds with minimal pain. If brewed even slightly incorrectly, it would still heal but it would cause immense stinging.

"You will complete this potion tomorrow without my assistance. If you fail, you will try again until you get it right. You will be testing the potion on me. I will create a superficial cut on my person and we shall see how you perform."

"I won't let you down, Professor." She whispered as she watched him continue his work, entranced with his perfect recall of ingredients and measurements. He didn't work from a book; he knew exactly what he was doing. Finally he finished it and vialed it, quickly marking it down. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at his hand, murmuring a slashing spell. It cut into his skin, red blood pooling into his cupped palm. He didn't even wince.

Hermione watched in complete admiration as he placed one drop on his cut and it sealed itself quickly. Of course he had brewed it perfectly because there didn't seem to be any stinging. "Do you have questions, Granger?" he asked, scourgifying his hand. She shook her head as she glanced down at her notes, feeling confident that she could brew it without any assistance after watching just once.

"Good. Get out." He said, bidding her a prompt farewell. She nodded, thanking him once more. Before she could leave, she turned to ask him one question.

"Professor, I know that it's not possible for me to continue my running at night, but is there a chance that I could use the Room of Requirements to exhaust the extra energy that is built up during the day? I just… there's this issue that I've been having since the end of the war. I can't sleep at night without being completely exhausted from physical exercise, sir. It's the only way I can concentrate on my studies during the day." She finished with her small speech, hoping he would understand.

Severus gritted his teeth at her question. He didn't want her to stay out after hours. It was dangerous and the ministry would have his head if they found out he was entertaining the thought of having Granger out running about at night. But the Room of Requirements… well, that was workable. He could have her sneak in and out nightly if they were careful. _You're going soft, you old fool._ He admonished inwardly, sighing heavily with his lips set in a grim line. Why did she have so much pent up energy anyway?

"Granger, running in that outfit in the open is unacceptable. You must understand that. As it were, perhaps we could sort out a running schedule for you nightly in the Room of Requirements. You will not speak of this to anyone, even Draco. If word were to get out that I have allowed a student to be out after hours, you will be punished severely. Seeing that I'm doing you this favor, you will explain to me the symptoms of your ailment. What causes you to have too much energy?"

Hermione was jumping for joy inside. "Thank you, Professor. I won't breathe a word. And well… I don't know, sir. After the Dark Lord was vanquished, I had nightmares for weeks and it feels like without being completely spent, my mind won't let me fall asleep. I think part of me still fears that the remaining death eaters are plotting for revenge still." She said, her honeyed eyes averting down to her feet in slight shame at her outright fear.

He gritted his teeth, not wanting to lie in order to comfort her. _Why are you trying to comfort her anyway?_ _This is the insufferable know-it-all Granger. When did she become even slightly tolerable?_ Snape pushed his thoughts out of the way, his hand coming up to rub at his temple. "I assure you, Miss Granger, that there are still death eaters out there somewhere lurking like the cockroaches they are. Fortunately, I can also assure you that you be never be in harms way while I am Headmaster."

Her bottom lip quivered and she looked up at him with shining eyes, wiping away at the corner. His stern inky black irises met hers and there was a small moment of understanding between the two. She felt as if the giant wall of frustration and crap built between then through the years was finally beginning to crack. "Thank you, sir." She whispered in a shaky voice before turning on her heel rushing out of the room. In her haste, she had left her wand behind.

Severus was left standing in his lab, slouching back against his desk. _What are you getting yourself into?_ He asked himself, his face falling into a familiar scowl as he picked up his belongings and quickly swept out of the room and towards the Room of Requirement with her wand in hand. He hoped to catch up to Granger before she could make it there, but unfortunately he caught himself standing right outside of it, huffing slightly in his effort to get there on time. There was no one in the hall but himself, all the students and faculty tucked away in their own quarters. He quickly opened the door to the RoR, telling himself that he required to speak to Hermione Granger. It must have worked because there she was, cloak off in all her glory, sprinting around the room.

She didn't even see him come in, her back facing him as she raced through the room which was now decorated to her needs. The floor was padded with faux grass, one whole wall of the room enchanted to display the forbidden forest on a moonlit night. Sweat glistened on her body as she briskly ran through the room, a pair of earbuds tucked into her ears, blaring some kind of loud muggle music from a small white square in her hand. He assumed it to be a muggle contraption for music. It was quite clever, actually.

"Miss Granger." He said loudly, but she continued to run, completely oblivious to his presence.

"Accio music." He whispered at the whole contraption flew from her ears into his hand. He looked down at it and smirked at the ingenious muggles that had thought it up. The cover labeled 'iPod'.

"Oh, professor! Was there something else you needed?" Hermione gasped, stopping in her run and huffing from loss of breath. She wiped off her brow, looking up at him expectantly.

He cleared his throat. _What am I doing here? Answer her Severus and for Merlin's sake, it had better be a good excuse._

"You left your wand in my class, Granger. Quite careless of you." He sighed, leaving it on the small chair on which her cloak was hanging from. She gasped, her hand coming up to her mouth.

"Merlin, I didn't even realize. Thank you again, sir. You're being quite…"

"What am I, Miss Granger?" he asked, a sharpness in his voice causing her to falter in her words. This wasn't good. Things couldn't get sentimental between a student and professor. No, a **headmaster. **He could feel a small bond beginning and he needed to desperately break it now. But could he? He looked into her pretty brown eyes and gritted his teeth, swallowing the violent insult he wanted to fling at her to try and sever the progress they had made tonight. Instead, he did the complete opposite.

"Perhaps it would behoove you to take this." He said, pulling out a tiny cloak from his pocket. He sighed in relief inwardly for always carrying that damned thing around with him just in case. It was charmed to be small but he quickly rectified it into its normal size. "It would not do to have students or faculty seeing you sneaking into the room. We don't need that kind of drama here."

She stared wide-eyed down at the cloak. It was disturbingly similar to Harrys, only slightly smaller to fit her form perfectly. "Professor, how did you come by one of these?" she asked without thinking, taking the precious invisibility cloak from his hands.

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to, Granger."

She nodded, a small grateful smile on her lips. "I'll take care of it, sir."

"Good, because it isn't yours. I want it back by the end of the year."

"Yes, sir. Goodnight."

"Do be prepared for Defense Against the Dark Arts tomorrow Granger. We don't want you falling asleep in class because you've been running too late at night." He said ominously before turning around and heading out of the room, but not before handing her the iPod back. Their fingers brushed momentarily and Severus watched a shiver wrack though Hermione's fit form, a small smirk curving onto his lips. Not another word was spoken and he turned to leave.

**A/N: So I know this one was short, but it just didn't feel right to add any more to it. Thank you all so much for the follows, favorites, and reviews! You know how to make a girl feel so special (: Another thanks to MoonShadowAMR for the correction from the first chapter! As for the suggestions/questions about upcoming death eaters and Ron bashing and action… well, you know me. It'll be a surprise (;**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Harry Potter**

_Previously: "Do be prepared for Defense Against the Dark Arts tomorrow Granger. We don't want you falling asleep in class because you've been running too late at night." He said ominously before turning around and heading out of the room, but not before handing her the iPod back. Their fingers brushed momentarily and Severus watched a shiver wrack though Hermione's fit form, a small smirk curving onto his lips. Not another word was spoken and he turned to leave._

_/_

Hermione welcomed sleep after her run in the Room of Requirements. She slipped into her usual cloak and tossed her new invisibility cloak over herself, relishing in the musky peppermint and soap smell of Professor Snape that lingered on the thin material. The walk back to her dorm was quiet and lonely, but it gave her the time she needed to think. Whatever had caused the change in Professor Snape, she thoroughly enjoyed it. Perhaps learning under him wouldn't be so horrible after all. She immediately made the decision to keep all of this from Harry and Ron. She could only imagine what their imaginations could come up with. _'Mione, you don't fancy the greasy bat, do you? 'Mione, why do you smell like that old fart? 'Mione, why are you always locked up in that lab with Snape?_

She could already hear their accusing voices ringing through her mind and scowled beneath the cloak as she continued on her way to her common room. She couldn't even tell Malfoy without giving away that she would still be running out late in the RoR. There was no way she could let any of them know without revealing their little secret. It was strange—Severus Snape and Hermione Granger had secrets together now. It made her chest swell a little thinking about it. She knew that in class, she would still be the object of his ridicule. She would never change from being the insufferable know-it-all he despised, but at least when they were alone he wasn't such a callous wizard.

She used the password to get into her dorm as quietly as possible, the figure of a sleeping Malfoy on the overstuffed couch in front of the dwindling flames of the fireplace. He stirred slightly and she froze in her spot, her breath hitching in her throat. His dark gray eyes scanned the room, his brows knitted together in confusion before he sighed and leaned back comfortably in his seat, dozing off once more but not before grumbling about how he would have her head in the morning. Her shoulders shook with laughter beneath the cloak and she silently slinked by him, creeping into her room and locking the door behind her.

After a long hot shower, she climbed into bed and fell asleep, dreaming of Professor Snape and his talented hands.

/

Incessant pounding on her door roused her from slumber. She glanced at her clock and groaned inwardly at how early it still was. The sun was barely beginning to rise and already Malfoy was at her door. Of course he'd had enough sleep last night, but she hadn't! She pushed her face back into her pillow and shook her head as he continued to pound on her door.

"Granger, you better get your arse out of bed and open this door right now! Or I swear I'll spill that muddy blood everywhere!" his voice boomed from right outside and she groaned as she reached for her wand and flicked it at the door to unlock it. He came right in, his stormy gray eyes and gritted teeth betraying his otherwise calm face.

"Where were you last night? I didn't even see you come in!"

Hermione sighed, sitting up in her bed, trying to smooth out the rats nest she called her hair. "I was serving detention with Snape. After that, I snuck out for a quick run around the Forbidden Forest, then I came back here. You were already zonked out on the couch, so I left you alone. You don't get enough sleep either, ferret. I didn't want to wake you." she replied. It was mostly the truth.

His eyes softened momentarily but he still scolded her, taking a seat at the end of her bed and running slender fingers through his perfect mane of blonde hair. "You should wake me. I waited up for you, but I must have dozed off. Wake me up next time, Granger. You understand?" he asked, his voice softening too at the end. She nodded, reaching out and patting him lightly on the shoulder.

Well, she was awake now. She stood from her bed and undressed, reaching into her drawers for a set of proper clothing for detention tonight with Snape.

"You know Granger, you've got one hot body underneath all that crap you layer on during the day. Why don't you show a little skin? It's about time you get a boyfriend… or at least someone to lay you good. You're too uptight, Mudblood."

Hermione snorted, not even bothering to reply as she continued to rummage through her drawers for something appropriate to wear.

Draco watched indifferently, starting another conversation about how he dreaded he was beginning to have feelings for Blaise Zabini.

"… he's my best mate, Granger. And he's not even close to batting for the other team! How am I going to work this out?"

She pulled on a form fitting blouse and some snug jeans, pulling up the zipper as she replied, "How do you know he's not? Have you two ever spoken about anything like that?"

"Well, no. It's fucking awkward, that's why. He doesn't have a single notion about me either. I'm sure he just assumes that I'm not gay since I always have fucking Pansy and the rest of the Slytherin Sluts dangling off of my arms. Not to mention the fact that he is their second choice when I'm not available." he sighed, standing to help her into her cloak and wrangle her hair into a formidable braid.

"Well, maybe it's time to finally come out then Malfoy. You can't keep it a secret forever and you're of age already. Your parents have already disowned you for coming back to school and even speaking to me. What difference would it make if you just tell the truth about this last secret you've been keeping hidden for so long? I understand and I'm sure everyone else would too." she said, turning around and manually straightening out her bed.

Malfoy snorted, flicking his wand at the mattress and it made itself much more quickly, the pillows flying back to their correct spots and the sheets flattening out to pristine perfection. Hermione usually preferred to make her bed the muggle way, but she didn't object this time. She was still exhausted from last night's run and the few hours she got to sleep.

"As if. Can you imagine?" he asked, his voice pitching up high to mimic Pansy's. "Oh, Dracy-Poo! You don't want to have sex with me because you prefer cocks?! Just wait 'till the rest of the school finds out!"

Hermione fell back in a fit of giggles on her bed at his near-perfect mimic of her. "Draco, I'm not saying that you should tell Pansy first. Merlin, that girl is insufferable. I simply meant that you should ease Blaise into it. He might be Slytherin, but he doesn't seem as bad as the rest of the lot. I, of all people, would know about the good seeds and bad seeds of Slytherin. Look at you, for example. You aren't the same little prat you were when we were younger." she said, pointing him out as an example.

Draco sighed, taking his seat next to her again, his head falling into his hands as he stared at the ground. "I'm still the prat you remember. I just don't hate you anymore. And you're wrong about my parents, too. Daddy dearest will probably come and wring my neck if he ever finds out about this. They have disowned me, but they still know exactly where I am at all times. He won't even let my mum see me anymore. She was the only thing that kept me sane before I came back here." he admitted in a soft voice, all ounces of amusement gone.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him, leaning into his strong shoulder. "I know Draco. The choice is ultimately yours, but remember that you can't ever be happy hiding the truth. And remember that I'll always be on your side." she said in a comforting tone, snickering inside at the truth of her words. _Don't hide the truth, Hermione. _she chided internally. Her face fell into a scowl as she berated herself at her hypocrisy. Draco didn't seem to notice, nodding and offering a dashing smile at her. He leaned in and pecked her forehead before standing to take his leave.

"Thanks, Granger. Sorry that I got you up so early."

"No, you're not. And you're welcome."

With that, he left towards his first class. Hermione took one deep breath and stared into her mirror, her lips quirking up into a fake smile that didn't hide her tired eyes. "Maybe a little makeup wouldn't kill you, Granger." she murmured to herself, opening a drawer and digging deeply into it, pulling out a tiny bag of muggle cosmetics Ginny had given her for Christmas the year before.

She pulled out a tube of concealer, a slender brow quirking as she read the directions. "Seems simple enough…" she said to herself, taking a small amount onto her finger and dabbing it around her eyes. It was as good as magic! She wouldn't have to keep up a glamour or charm to look fresh. Muggle makeup worked just as well. She reveled in that fact, slicking on a bit of pink lip gloss and pinching her cheeks to give them some color.

With that, she grabbed her large bag of books, shrunk it down to slip into her pocket, and headed off towards Defense Against the Dark Arts.

She made an extra effort to be early, unlike her last class with Snape. She filed in quietly, only a handful of other students already sitting in class. She spotted Neville, taking a seat next to him with a small smile on her lips.

"Hi, Hermione." He greeted in a soft timid voice, his eyes snapping up quickly at Professor Snape, who was busy with his nose buried into a thick book, his black eyes scanning through each page quickly. Hermione patted his shoulder, her eyes following his and locking onto Professor Snape. The Headmaster hadn't even glanced up at any of them when they had filed in, his face in a permanent scowl as he read through the book at record speed.

Hermione took the extra time to study the notes she had taken the night previous of the healing potion, reassuring herself she would be able to do it without looking just as Snape had done. Neville remained silent at her side, his eyes averting out the window towards the grounds, reveling in the sunny day outside. She knew he wished he could be anywhere but here right now. He had always been weak in DADA and now that Snape was teaching the class, it would be even worse for him. Hermione couldn't help but pity the young man.

"You'll be fine, Neville." She whispered softly to him, giving another reassuring pat on his shoulder. He nodded, but didn't smile. Soon the rest of the class came piling in, Harry and Ron sitting beside them as well. Malfoy took a seat in front of Hermione, winking at her before pulling out his chair and plopping down into it. Pansy dangled from his arm, a sneer forming on her pudgy face.

"Why do we have to sit next to _them_, Dracy-Poo?" she whined and he instantly shushed her, his arm unwinding from hers. Blaise Zabini strolled in as well, smirking at the lot of them before taking a seat next to Draco. Hermione watched him tense as his best mate patted him on the back. Another pang of pity swelled within her for Draco's troubles with Blaise. She sighed as Snape stood, beginning his lesson.

"Turn to page three hundred and fifty nine." He ordered, flicking his wand back at the board behind him, magically scrawling a spell in perfect handwriting.

'_Cornish Pixies_'

Hermione groaned inwardly at the reminder of her second year with their incompetent (although handsome) professor Gilderoy Lockhart. The whole class seemed to also sigh in frustration as Snape pulled out a large cage filled with the incessantly screaming and bouncing creatures, begging for release. Neville trembled next to her, a soft whimper escaping his pale lips as he eyed the pixies that nearly killed him when they were younger.

"It has come to my attention that during your second year, only one student was able to contain the Cornish Pixies released by the now institutionalized Gilderoy Lockhart. It is absolutely unacceptable and now you will all learn how to contain these creatures without the help of that one particular student. Granger, get up here."

Hermione's eyes widened in her seat and she shakily stood from it, taking her wand with her as she approached the looming Professor Snape.

"Take a seat, Miss Granger. Give me your wand."

She reluctantly handed the slim piece of wood to him, taking a seat next to his own chair at the front of the class. Her face burned in embarrassment as she looked back at the class that was now glaring at her. Ron, Harry, and Malfoy gave her mostly pitied looks as Snape put her on the spot.

"What is the spell used to contain Cornish Pixies?" he asked.

Hermione shot her hand up into the air without thinking and Severus sent her a scathing look. "Anyone except Miss Granger?" he asked again.

Malfoy rose his hand and Snape nodded at him. "Immobulus." He replied confidently and some of the girls swooned. Snape rolled his eyes as did Hermione.

"The freezing charm will momentarily allow you all to round up the pixies if you cast it correctly. When I release these, I expect you all to be able to use the charm efficiently. The last student to round up the pixies will be dueling Granger." He said, tapping the cage of the pixies lightly and watching them spark up with anger.

"B-but Professor!" Hermione began to protest from her seat and he glared down at her.

"Is there a problem Granger? Or would you rather duel me?" he asked her in a low voice, his dulcet tones making her quiver in her seat. She shook her head no, her breath hitching in her throat. Snape returned his attention back to the class.

"I have given the pixies an elixir that has upped their aggravation and hormones. They will not hesitate to bite and it is not pleasant. Do be careful." He warned, but Hermione sensed a bit of amusement behind his words. He quickly unlocked the cage and without a moment's notice the pixies erupted from the bars that held them, their peals of high-pitched laughter almost too loud to bear. Hermione watched in horror as they started their mischievous ways, attacking the students in groups at a time.

She watched as Draco casted the first freezing charm, successfully stopping the pixies in their trail towards him, Pansy, and Blaise. They rounded up their pixies fairly quickly and put them back into the cage. She commended him with a smile.

The rest of the class had difficulty handling the sly creatures that zoomed at incredible speeds around the room, lifting students by their ears and damaging much of the classroom. It took nearly thirty minutes for most of them to even cast the charm at the correct moment to stop the pixies. She glanced around the room, searching for the person with most difficulty. Neville stood with absolute fear in his eyes as he unsuccessfully casted the _Immobulus_, another round of pixies flying straight at him. They were practically torturing him, pulling at his hair and lifting him out of his seat. He cried out for help from the other students, who were now panting from the effort of trying to get their own pixies out of the way. Neville was left standing alone with the little monsters attacking.

Hermione couldn't sit and watch any longer. She growled, grabbing her wand and pointing it at the pixies. "_Immobulus!"_ she casted perfectly and the pixies froze in their spots, dropping Neville from the ground.

The class gasped at her, their eyes averting to Professor Snape, whose face was void of emotion. Hermione looked up at him as well and she knew better than that. His eyes burned with anger and he offered her only a small smirk and she knew she was done for.

"Take your seat, Longbottom." He barked at Neville who was nearly on the verge of tears as he sat down, slinking lower than normal.

"Granger, you were the last to cast the charm correctly. Since you can't duel with yourself, you will have the honor of dueling me. Congratulations." He said with a snarky smile, turning and crossing the room.

_Shit, shit, shit!_ Hermione cursed inside her mind as she crossed the room with her wand in hand.

"Ready yourself, Granger."

She could barely breathe. Hermione gritted her teeth, forcing herself to calm down as his raised his wand and she did the same. "Disarming charms only, Granger." He warned and she nodded, taking a long deep breath.

The rest of the class watched in awed silence at Hermione's bravery to stand up against the Headmaster in a duel. There was no contest though—they all knew Hermione didn't stand a chance and she knew it as well.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ she exclaimed, pointing directly at Snape's chest. He deflected it easily, sending his own towards her. She was nearly blown back from her spot as she deflected his away as well, standing her ground. They continued like this for the next ten minutes, trying to disarm each other with no real success. It felt like Hermione was back in battle again and she tried to think of it that way in order to even come close to Snape's standards. She was sweating bullets by the tenth minute and he had barely even moved from his spot.

The class was still sitting in absolute silence most of the time, but she heard the occasional 'Go, Hermione.' From her friends whenever she deflected a spell or cast one of her own. They had slowly began to digress from disarming charms to offensive spells, the duel becoming more and more heated. She could see the fires burning in Snape's onyx eyes and wondered if hers looked the same. It wasn't the heat of anger, but more of excitement and anticipation. She found that thought it was completely exhausting, she was enjoying their duel together.

"Enough." Snape said after another five minutes of back and forth blocking and casting. Neither of them had landed any real spells, but he seemed to know that Hermione was losing her strength quickly.

What surprised her and the rest of the class most though, was this: "Ten points to Gryffindor."

She sat down panting in her seat, her golden eyes wide with surprise as Snape gave her house points. She didn't even ask why, not wanting to push her luck. The rest of the students, including Malfoy gaped at her with mouths wide open.

"5000 word essay on the most efficient ways to deflect spells during duels due next class. Granger, stay." He said, waving away the class as they filed out, groans of disapproval and hushed whispers of the duel breaking their silence.

They waited for all the students to leave, Malfoy placing a proud grip on Hermione's shoulder much to Pansy's dismay as they left the room.

Severus waved his hand at the door, locking it behind the last student.

"Well done, Miss Granger." He said quietly as he observed her from behind his desk. He took a seat, pulling open one of his drawers and grabbing a vial of pepper up potion, handing it to her. "Drink."

She drank without question, relieved to feel she was regaining a bit of the magical energy that she had depleted while dueling the headmaster. "Professor, can I ask why you chose me? Harry… even Malfoy is a much more adequate dueling partner."

"You broke the rules and assisted Mr. Longbottom when I asked you specifically not to. We are all aware you are more than capable of handling a few cornish pixies, but the rest of them cannot. So I chose you to duel me as punishment for not obeying during class. It's quite simple, Miss Granger." He replied nonchalantly. "But you held your ground and in turn, surprised me yet again. I will say this once and only once, Miss Granger. You are worth more than you think and you are capable of the most difficult obstacles. I will deny this before anyone else." He ended with a small smirk on his lips. "Now get out."

She smiled down at her feet, nodding as he dismissed her. "I'll see you after dinner, Professor." She said quietly and left the room.

Severus sat in silence for a few seconds, listening to her steps as she padded away from the room. "Dare I say I look forward to it, Miss Granger."

The rest of the day went without a hitch, Severus barking angrily in the rest of his classes and Hermione abnormally quiet in the rest of hers. Their thoughts lingered on each other throughout the day and though neither would admit it, they were anticipating detention with each other that night.

Dinner was exactly like it had been the night before—filled with the loud chatter of happy students. Hermione fidgeted in her seat, her eyes glued to the list of ingredients and measurements for the healing potion she would be working on tonight. Harry and Ron left her alone, turning their attention to quidditch which would start the next week. Harry would, of course, be team captain. Ron and Ginny would be on the team too.

Severus watched her with steely eyes from his seat in the middle of the faculty table, waiting—almost daring for her to look back up at him. Hermione could feel his eyes on her the whole time, but refused to look up in fear that he wouldn't return her gaze. Instead, her face remained shielded behind her curly locks, her eyes averted down at her notes. It was almost time now.

The students began filing out of the Great Hall to get to their beds and Hermione packed up her things, making her way towards the lab.

Severus was already waiting for her, the cauldron set up for her disposal. His sat behind his large desk, scrawling more failing grades over poorly written papers when Hermione knocked softly on the door. He smiled. _The chit actually remembered to knock._

"Enter."

"Good evening, sir." She greeted with a warm smile. He didn't return it, but instead stood and stepped beside the cauldron, examining her. She wore a bit of makeup today and he didn't object to it. She was radiant alone, but that kiss of shine on her lips and her shining eyes made him swallow thickly before speaking.

"Are you ready to start, Miss Granger? If you can do this correctly, you won't have to clean out the storage unit tonight."

"Even more incentive for me to do this correctly. I'm ready, Professor." She said with a nod. She quickly went to the storage room and grabbed the necessary ingredients, bringing them back to the cauldron and starting the potion. Snape watched diligently as she shakily chopped and crushed ingredients, putting them into the cauldron in precise order.

"What was your initial incentive, Miss Granger?" he asked out of curiosity, relaxing as he watched her brew.

"I don't like to fail, Professor. It's incentive enough." She replied simply and the corner of his mouth tilted up into a half-smile for the barest moment. He didn't ask anything more as she brewed the potion for the next half hour. He did pace around her though, watching her every move like a hawk. Hermione tensed each time she felt his cloak brush against her arm or when his minty breath spilled over her neck from behind as he leaned in to examine the potion. It caused a delicious hot clenching in the pit of her belly that she couldn't explain, but it wasn't unpleasant in the least.

She swallowed thickly as took one last look at the potion, nodding and vialing it quickly. "It's done sir." She replied and he took the vial from her hand, eyeing it carefully before nodding and pulling up his sleeve.

"Professor, I would feel more comfortable if you'd allow me to test it on myself…" she started, but he shook his head in refusal.

"I don't know your tolerance for pain, but if this was brewed incorrectly I wouldn't know if you were lying to me or not. Therefore…"

"I wouldn't lie to get out of some cleaning sir! I just didn't want you to be on the end of the stinging in case I did brew it wrong."

"Miss Granger, calm yourself. The answer is no." he said sternly. _I couldn't bear to watch you cut into that perfect skin. Merlins balls, you're such an old fool._ He thought, his expression scowling as he made the incision in his arm, the ruby droplets of warm blood threatening to drip from his skin.

Hermione gasped at the sight of his arm. Even now, the sight of the Dark Mark made her shiver. She felt her lip tremble as she calmed herself, uncorking the vial and tilting it onto his arm. One drop escaped and landed onto his skin. It sealed within seconds like it was supposed to, but she watched his expression for pain. It was void of emotion and she hoped she had made it correctly.

"Sir?" she finally asked after a few moments of silence.

"Adequate. There was mild stinging, but your execution was formidable for your first time. From now on, lessen the amount of toad essence by a drop."

She sighed in relief, but a bit of disappointment rode through her. "It wasn't perfect. I'll start the cleaning." She said, heading towards the storage room.

"Actually, Miss Granger—you did far better than most wizards would if they were asked to brew this for the first time. I recall Poppy making this for the first time many years ago. There was a lot of pain. I was expecting disaster tonight Granger, but you've surprised me yet again." He said with a grimace at the thought of Pomfrey's brew. "You won't have to clean tonight."

Hermione nodded, coming back and taking a seat next to the Headmaster. "What are we doing tonight then, sir?" she asked.

Severus' mind wandered into dirty thoughts at the open ended question, but he reeled himself back to reality when he felt a stirring in his pants. "You are welcome to leave for the night, Miss Granger. My duties for the night belong in the Forbidden Forest collecting ingredients."

"I see. Well, if you wouldn't mind Professor… I still need a run tonight. Since you would be out in the forest and I would be within your sight, would it be alright to—"

"Yes, Granger. You may run outside tonight, but _only_ tonight." He said, cutting her off mid-request. She smiled giddily and headed straight for the door. "I'll just need a quick change of clothes and I'll be outside momentarily, sir."

"I don't need your minute by minute life story, Granger." He snapped and she nodded curtly, still smiling as she left for her room.

He gathered empty vials into his coat pockets, apparating outside of the room and onto the school grounds. It was a warm night—humid and thick. He sighed, removing his cloak and sending it flying back into the castle. He dusted off a piece of invisible lint from his arm when he heard Hermione's footsteps behind him, already running.

"I'll just keep around this area then, sir?" she asked. He turned around, already prepped for what he knew she would be wearing. Tonight, it was an even smaller outfit and he wondered to himself if she did it on purpose. Sly witch. Her wore a deep emerald sports bra that hugged around her perfectly formed breasts snugly. Her stomach was toned, golden, and absolutely smooth. Her green running shorts were tight around her thighs and rear, matching the compression bra. He wondered again if she wore those colors specifically for him. _Not for you, idiot. It's warm outside and she knows it, so she wore less. It's not all for you, Severus. Calm yourself._

He nodded at her question, not uttering a word in fear his voice would give himself away. As he turned, she stood to watch. It was the first time Hermione had ever seen him outside of his long black cloak and now she knew what was underneath that awful thing. He wore fitted black slacks and a prim white button up shirt beneath that hugged closely to his fit form. He ignored her completely, rolling up his sleeves to reveal milky pale skin beneath to moonlight. It was such a contrast to her light golden skin she found it beautiful. He took her breath away without even trying.

She bit onto her lip, turning away to start her run. This was going to be a long, hot night.

**A/N: You guys are so awesome. I wasn't expecting such a great turnout of reviews and favorites/follows, so THANK YOU! And also a special thanks to the followers from my other fic that came and checked out this one too. I appreciate the loyalty! The next chapter will lead into the rest of the night. I know the storyline is leading in a little bit slow going day by day. Would you guys prefer it if I sped things up a little, or left it like this? Let me know! Thanks for reading. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Harry Potter franchise.**

_ Previously:_ _He nodded at her question, not uttering a word in fear his voice would give himself away. As he turned, she stood to watch. It was the first time Hermione had ever seen him outside of his long black cloak and now she knew what was underneath that awful thing. He wore fitted black slacks and a prim white button up shirt beneath that hugged closely to his fit form. He ignored her completely, rolling up his sleeves to reveal milky pale skin beneath to moonlight. It was such a contrast to her light golden skin she found it beautiful. He took her breath away without even trying. _

_ She bit onto her lip, turning away to start her run. This was going to be a long, hot night. _

_/_

The rest of the evening was awkwardly tense. The muggy warm weather didn't help the situation either. Hermione watched the Professor bend down to pick at the needed ingredients for the lab, a glisten of sweat on his brow as he dug through the dirt with his wand carefully. Her sprinting had slowed to a lazy jog after the first hour, her feet barely picking up off the ground to keep up with her. Sweat soaked through her bra and shorts, a thin sheen over her mostly bare body and she was almost glowing in the moonlight. Severus tried not to look back at the girl whilst he was working. She was entirely too much of a distraction, he had decided. _Shouldn't have even allowed her out at all. Hmph._ He thought gruffly, carefully vialing precious roots and tucking them away into his coat pocket.

A sudden sound came from his right and he knew immediately it wasn't Hermione who was creeping up on him. He flourished his wand with precision, pointing it at the creature that approached him not-so-stealthily. His eyes widened at the large Acromantula that stared with bulbous, shiny eyes back at him. It hissed sharply and he backed up a step, his eyes narrowing at it. His thoughts immediately jumped to Hermione, who was still running around the grounds and was about to run straight into danger unknowingly.

This creature was most likely a spawn of Aragog, the giant arachnid that Hagrid had foolishly saved during his time in Hogwarts. Its long, hairy, spindly legs stepped towards him and he was about to cast the killing curse upon it before he heard a very familiar voice casting one first.

"_Arania Exumai!"_ she exclaimed from behind the large spider. It immediately shrieked and keeled over, falling onto it's back. Its long legs curled up around its hairy, bulbous body.

Severus glared angrily over at Hermione, his scathing eyes scrutinizing and sharp. "Why didn't you hide, you insolent child!" he snapped, casting a burning spell on the spider to remove the remains. He then quelled the fires down to ashes, proceeding to grasp Hermione by the arm and begin to drag her back towards the castle. She fought against him, roughly trying to yank away from his vice like grip.

"Professor, please! I thought you had been hurt, so I stepped in! I couldn't see past that hairy thing. How was I to know?! You're hurting me!" she snapped back at him. He released her immediately, his voice the lowest whisper.

"I forbid you to run outside, even with my supervision. It's too dangerous, Miss Granger. Don't you know what could have happened?" he asked. Without realizing it, he had pushed her back up against the wall of one of the lonely corridors of the school. He was dangerously close to her, their bodies only mere inches from touching one another. He could feel the warmth rolling off of her sweet little body. His eyes roamed over her face, over her lips and her petite nose, then finally searching her honeyed eyes. She had her jaw clenched tightly and shook her head at his question.

"I was in complete control, sir." She whispered back, her body tensing at their close proximity. She could feel his hot breath on her cheek, minty and delicious.

"Are you, Hermione?" he asked in a low smooth voice and she breathed in quickly at the sound of her first name rolling off of his tongue.

"I… yes." She replied in a shaky voice, a little unsure now. "Sir, I—"

She started what he knew was going to be an annoying ramble and one of his slender index fingers came up and pressed against her lips to silence her. He reveled in the softness of them, switching his thumb over to her plump lips and running over them momentarily. And without thinking, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. He felt her moan into his mouth, slightly surprised that she wasn't trying to fight him off. He quickly pulled away when he came back to his senses, slamming back to the other side of the corridor. His heavy breathing gave him away from the cool expression on his face.

Hermione was flustered, hot, and in desperate need of something more. "W-why… why did you stop?" she asked stupidly, her cheeks flushed and her breathing also heavy with want.

"The question is why I even started, Miss Granger. This is entirely inappropriate. You will not breathe a word to anyone about this. We will act as if it had never happened—and so it will be. Your detentions with me are cancelled for the rest of the week. Our potions sessions are cancelled as well. Poppy can teach them just as well as I can." He hissed back at her, angry at her question and angry with himself for his lack of control.

"But sir!" she protested, but he was already storming off down the hall.

"Please, wait!" she called after him, trying to follow. He turned back around, grasping her wrist and holding her there, his eyes averted from hers.

"Miss Granger, I… apologize for my actions. They were unacceptable. I assure you it will never happen again. Go to bed before I decide to deduct points." He finally whispered to her, his eyes never meeting her searching ones.

"Look at me!" she protested and he clenched his teeth, his expression void as he met her burning eyes. "I don't regret it. I promise not to tell anyone, but please don't beat yourself up over this, sir. I've been feeling the same—"

"What have you been feeling exactly, Miss Granger? You're a beautiful young woman and I am an old man. Consider that before you even think of uttering what I know is going to come out of your mouth. You're being ignorant to the situation and thinking with your bleeding heart and not your head." He snapped, cutting her off completely. She was fuming at this point, her hand coming up and grasping him by the collar and yanking him down to her level.

"Remove your hands from my person, Miss Granger." He said calmly, his stormy eyes returning her heated gaze.

"I can't learn from Madam Pomfrey. She sent me to you because she told me herself the potions were too complicated. You _will_ teach me, sir. And we will be discrete about our… situation."

"We don't have a _situation_, Miss Granger. And if we must continue these lessons, there will be absolutely no more incidents like tonight." He hissed back at her, taking her wrists into his hands and yanking her off of him.

"I promise to never bring this up again if you can answer me one question truthfully." She suddenly requested.

"I don't have time for your silly games, Granger."

"Please. Just one question and I promise we'll drop it, I'll go to bed, and we'll never speak of it again."

Snape paused, gritting his teeth. _One question and that's all, Severus. She's a student. She's a student and you are entirely too old for her._

"If you must." He replied through his teeth.

"Did you enjoy it? Our kiss, I mean? I'll know if you're lying sir, and I promise if you do I'll… I'll… well, just don't lie!" she asked brazenly though her voice teetered unsurely at the end, a very Malfoy-esque smirk falling across her pretty lips. Severus nearly gaped at her, but held his composure. It took all his might not to turn and flee from the humiliation. At the same time, his lips still tingled from the heated kiss they had shared.

"Yes, Miss Granger." He finally hissed angrily at her before turning on his heel and storming away.

Hermione smiled slyly at his back as he walked away. She turned to head back up to her room, her fingers brushing against her own tingling lips. Malfoy was waiting for her, but she completely lied to her best friend guiltily.

"I went to detention, went for a run, then came back." She replied to his question and he nodded, accepting the vague answer for the moment.

"Granger, I… I told Blaise today. About me." He said with a heavy sigh, his cool gray eyes staring into the burning hearth. Hermione's eyes widened as she sat down in front of him, momentarily forgetting about her own situation.

"And?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, he promised to keep it a secret, but… well, I don't know, Hermione. He wasn't angry with me, but at the same time, he didn't seem happy about it either. He was indifferent."

"I was indifferent too, Draco. I've never cared about who you want to love—only about the person you really are."

"You're such a Gryffindor." He reminded smarmily and she scowled at the reminder of her 'bleeding heart'. "And he's a full blooded Slytherin—almost as cunning as me. I can't tell if he is or isn't gay, Hermione. It's driving me up the wall!" he exclaimed in and exasperated voice, falling back and slouching onto the couch.

Hermione sighed unhappily, patting him on the knees as she kneeled before him. She scooted closer, resting her chin upon his knees and looking up into his darkening gray eyes. "Just make a move, ferret. You have never been the shy one. Just shove that bugger to the wall and… and snog him senseless!" she exclaimed. Malfoy eyed her strangely.

"Hermione Granger, the stuck up know-it-all prude, is telling me to snog the daylights out of Blaise? Who are you and what have you done to my Mudblood?" he asked, reaching down and shaking her shoulders. She laughed, her heart still beating wildly from her heated conversation with Severus.

"I'm starting to… come into a new light, I suppose." she said with a shrug, her confidence suddenly pushed up to an all new high.

"Well good. If you aren't shagged thoroughly by the end of the year, I'll do it with you myself!" he said in complete seriousness. Hermione blushed from head to toe, a scowl on her face as she smacked his knees lightly.

"Shut up, ferret. I'm going to bed."

"Whoever he is Hermione… if he breaks your heart, I'll break his neck." Malfoy said as she walked away. She turned back to him with a smile, happy that he wasn't prodding like she knew Harry and Ronald would.

"I know. Night, Draco."

"Goodnight, Granger."

/

The rest of the week went by frustratingly slow. Hermione dragged herself to her classes, forcing herself for the first time in her life to do her homework, and barely studied for her exams (which she aced anyway). Professor Snape's classes were even worse. He didn't put her on the spot, he didn't call her when she raised her hand to answer questions, and he never made direct eye contact. It was as if she didn't exist in his classroom. On a normal day, he would have berated her for being an intolerable know-it-all and deducted house points even if her answer was correct. It was worse now. She wished he would acknowledge her, deduct house points, and she would even take dueling against him again if it meant she existed to him.

She didn't understand her intense feeling for the Headmaster and she made it her goal to find out as soon as possible. A new Hermione was being born—a bold, brazen, sexy Hermione. _Merlin, 'Hermione' and 'sexy' in one sentence. The world must be ending._ she thought to her, rolling her eyes as she twiddled her quill in her fingers in Snape's class. He was droning on about something she knew would pop up later in the final exam, so she copied down his words diligently though she wasn't paying attention. She was too distracted by his lips. She found herself staring more than usual, her eyes lingering for longer than necessary. Even Harry and Ron had found her behavior strange.

"Does the old bat have something on his face?" Ron asked in a thick voice, rousing from the doze he had slipped into during class, his eyes watching Hermione. She wondered how long he had been watching her now. Her face blazed tomato red and she shook her head.

"Just… daydreaming, I guess."

"You? Daydreaming? What's wrong with you, 'Mione?" Harry asked, his hand coming up over hers in a comforting manner. "Are you still having nightmares about… you know." he asked, referring to her nightly dreams about death eaters and Voldemort returning to power. They had wracked her brain nightly since the war, but had decidedly decreased recently since she'd all but exhausted herself with the running.

She'd been running harder every night since the incident in the dark corridors. The RoR was her haven now to release her pent up, frustrated energy. She found that each night it was getting harder and harder to exhaust herself so she could sleep and it was beginning to worry her, but she didn't breathe a word to Harry, Ron, or Malfoy.

"No, it's not that. I've just been loaded with work since Poppy has been watching over me and teaching me all these things about becoming a Healer. I'm fine, Harry. Honestly." she whispered back to him.

"I apologize Potter, is there something that you and Miss Granger would prefer to teach to the class that is more important than this lecture? I'm sure the Boy Who Lived would be a much better Professor than me." Severus boomed from below and Hermione froze in her seat, her eyes snapping down towards the impassive man.

"No professor. Sorry." Harry replied quickly, returning his attention to Snape, who continued with his lesson.

Finally, the class ended. Hermione counted the days in her head, eyes widening when she realized it was Sunday. Tonight she would be training with Snape. She waited until the very last student filed out of class before coming towards his desk, her body strong and will unwavering. _Stay strong, Hermione. Stay strong._

"To what do I owe this honor, Miss Granger?" he asked with a snarky voice, straightening the already straight pile of papers on his desk.

"Tonight we have a session, Professor." she said matter-of-factly. He remained silent, picking invisible lint off of his black cloak.

"And?" he asked after a few more moments of awkward silence.

"And I was wondering where you would like to meet." she ended, still holding her ground though she couldn't have been more shaky inside. She felt like Neville. This man scared her to her wits, but she couldn't resist him. Through all the rudeness, sarcasm, and mountains of crap, there was a hint of kindness and charm beneath that he'd shown her during their detentions together. She grasped onto that fact, hoping that the Snape she'd grown fond of was still buried in there somewhere. After all, he had enjoyed their kiss.

"Potion's lab. Get out." he barked, standing up quickly and knocking his chair back at the same time.

"Sir, are you alright?" she asked quickly, a hand shooting out and touching his shoulder. He snapped away immediately, gritting his teeth at her warm touch.

Severus eyed his student with what he hoped was malice or contempt for inside, he felt so very different. It had been difficult trying to distract himself from Hermione Granger through the last week. The little chit plagued his very dreams with her lithe body and supple lips. He woke almost every morning with a raging erection which he ignored completely and depleted with a cold shower. He couldn't keep fantasizing about something he could not have. It would drive him insane eventually.

"Get. Out." he spoke in a low, hissing voice.

Hermione shuffled out of the room quickly, taking heed to his words.

/

She didn't know if she should be looking forward to the night, but she wore her green running outfit under her cloak just in case. It seemed to distract him last time as well. _Just hook onto him, and reel him in Hermione. You can do it. You've read all about this kind of thing. But reading isn't the same as doing… oh, shut up!_ she argued with herself, her inner monologue giving her a headache. She made sure to be on time, arriving five minutes prior to their set time. She could already hear him inside, scratching off papers like usual.

She knocked quickly and entered, greeting him in a soft voice. She had applied a little makeup just for tonight and pulled her hair back into an elegant French knot. His eyes lingered on her for the slightest moment when she walked through the door, but she caught it. "Good evening, sir."

"Miss Granger. There is a list of ingredients and the preparation for the various potions we will be brewing while you are learning under me. Start reading." he addressed, watching her as she picked up the list and scanned through it quickly. She didn't question any of the ingredients but one.

"Sir, I've never seen virgins blood in your storage. Where do I get that?" she asked, raising a curious brow at him.

"Use your imagination, Miss Granger." he replied slyly, a small devilish smirk curving onto his lips for a split second before his expression became stoic.

"I… you can't really expect me to use my own!" she exclaimed.

"Why… are you a virgin, Miss Granger?" he asked, amusement lacing in his voice. Oh, he was enjoying this. Her face flushed a flustered red, but she refused to look away from him.

"As a matter of fact, I am! I'm not some whore, Professor! I'm… I'm saving it for someone special." she ended in a soft voice.

"It was no concern to me whether your hymen was intact or not, Granger. You will get the blood by using your own or another's willing." he replied, looking down at his perfectly clean hands, picking away at invisible dirt beneath his nails. "If you don't want to stay the whole night, I suggest you start."

Hermione scowled, moving to begin her potion. This was going to be another long, long night.

**A/N: So I tried to speed it up a little and skip through most of the would-be detentions and headed straight for the apprentice training. I also tried to up the heat a little bit between our favorite couple. Again, thank you all for your support and reviews! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Harry Potter.**

_ Previously: "It was no concern to me whether your hymen was intact or not, Granger. You will get the blood by using your own or another's willing." he replied, looking down at his perfectly clean hands, picking away at invisible dirt beneath his nails. "If you don't want to stay the whole night, I suggest you start." _

_ Hermione scowled, moving to begin her potion. This was going to be another long, long night. _

_/_

Hermione was half way through her potion now and her heart was beginning to beat quickly. She eyed the knife beside her, waiting for the simple prick of her finger to drip her virgin blood into the bubbling cauldron.

"Time does not stop when you do, Granger. My patience is wearing thin." Severus warned from behind her, watching her diligently as she continued to stir the potion counter clockwise first, then once clockwise. It was time for the blood. She eye the knife once more, picking it up and holding it up against her fingertip.

"Not there, Miss Granger."

"Sir?" she asked in a confused voice, faltering in her motion to prick her finger for the few drops of blood needed.

"Read the directions again, Miss Granger." he directed in a cool voice, his breath ghosting over her neck as he leaned in to watch her.

She withheld the shiver, her eyes tearing away from the knife to the book, reading over the words again. _ Blood of the Virgin – Three drops taken from the prick of a silver knife. May not be drawn from the hands or arms._

Her eyebrows knitted together in frustration. She had almost completely ruined the potion because of her carelessness! It had grown late into the night already and she could feel weariness taking over her body even though she had missed out on her nightly run. She knew it was taking a toll on her mentally. She sighed, putting the knife down and unbuttoning her cloak, revealing the green running suit beneath it.

If Severus was thinking anything of it, he wasn't letting it be known. His eyes flitted to her body quickly and then refocused back onto her face as she took the knife from the table with a shaky hand. She pressed it onto the skin of her belly, closing her eyes and biting onto her lower lip.

"Stop." Severus demanded, his hand coming out and taking the knife from her quivering hands. "You will scar if your hands don't stop shaking, Granger. Completely incompetent." he admonished, stepping in close to her body. Her breath hitched and she backed up against the desk that held all the ingredients, knocking over a few of them in her surprise at his advance.

"I don't bite, Miss Granger." he said in his dulcet tones. _Hard._ he thought, a small smirk flashing over his face before his expression was void once more.

His hand came down and rested on the edge of the table right beside her hip, millimeters from touching her. Hermione froze as he began to kneel in front of her, his hot breath whishing over her belly. It made her hairs stand on end. She felt the same delicious clench from deep within and strangely felt no fear for the man who wielded a knife so close to her.

"Sir, I can—"

"No, Granger. You can't." he retorted in a softer voice, grasping onto an empty vial before pointing the knife right below her belly button. "Stay still." he spoke in barely a whisper now. The silence was deafening as he gently pricked at her skin with the knife, barely even making a mark. She didn't even feel the pain, her eyes completely entranced on his face, which was concentrated on her smooth skin.

_Oh my God, Severus Snape is kneeling before me. Merlin, I must be dreaming._ Her thoughts raced through her head at lightning speed, as he made the small prick, a few drops of her blood dripping into the vial. She gasped and her eyes shot down to her belly when she felt his warm hand clasp around her fit waist, the other pressing lightly against the small wound to make sure it closed. He rang his thumb over the incision point lightly after a few moments, his fingers lingering longer than she found "appropriate". But she wasn't complaining.

By the point he dripped the three drops into the cauldron, her panties were thoroughly soaked and she couldn't handle the frustration any longer.

"I—I need a moment." she whispered in a shaky voice, pulling on her cloak quickly and running out into the corridor before he could object. She raced to the nearest bathroom, turning on the faucet and splashing cold water onto her face. "Relax, Hermione. You're fine. You're in control."

Severus slouched back against the table behind him when Hermione fled. He didn't follow. His breathing was heavy, his trousers tighter than they had ever been before. "Albus, help me." he spoke towards the ceiling, but no response came. He sighed, finishing the brew for Hermione and vialing it. The virgin's blood would keep it pure for a lifetime. This was one of the most precious potions in the healing world—the dreamless draught amplified. This version was created by Severus just a few years ago. It was a much stronger version of the original, made to put the sleeper into a temporary coma in cases of extreme pain for recovery. It was sought after all year long from St. Mungos. They paid him a hefty check to make enough to cover a year at the hospital. During that time, he had given part of his paycheck to willing virgins to give up a few drops of blood. He had never felt anything for them, much less if they had scarred their bodies. Then again, most of them were young men.

He rubbed at his temples, cleaning up the workstation and sending it away to the storage unit. Taking a seat, he thought out a quick and simple plan that would satisfy their needs for the remainder of the year.

Hermione strolled back into the lab with her head held high, though her cheeks still flushed a delicate pink. "I apologize. I just needed some air." she spoke in a unwavering voice.

_ Damned her Gryffindor courage._ Snape thought with a scowl on his face, motioning for her to take a seat across from his desk. She reluctantly sat. He made no comment on her unbuttoned cloak, enjoying the view for the moment. Though he had never seen the full impact of her breasts, he knew they were formidable. She constantly wore a compression bra to run, and even that constricting material was nearly bursting around her full bust. He forced himself to return to the matter at hand.

"Professor, why did you finish the potion? I was almost done!" Hermione suddenly piped, realizing all her work was worthless since she hadn't even completed her assignment. Severus waved a hand indignantly, rolling his eyes.

"You had finished it after your blood was placed in the potion. After the blood, turn clockwise twice, then counter clockwise ten times. The potion must sit for two full minutes afterwards. Then you may vial it." he said in a bored voice, still waiting for her silence so he could continue onto the more important matters at hand.

Hermione nodded, zipping her lips for the moment. He looked like he needed to say something. She prayed to God it wasn't about their little incident. Thinking of that kiss now made her burn inside still.

"You obviously can't control your wanton behavior. Therefore—"

"**What?!** I can't control **my** behavior?! Severus Snape, you are in complete and utter denial. I know that you care for me." she snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence. At this point, she had stood from her seat so violently that it toppled backwards behind her.

"Calm yourself, Miss Granger." he replied roughly. He stood, walking slowly around his desk and in front of hers. She refused to sit. She squared off with him, her chin barely reaching his chest as he loomed over her. Still, her eyes were fiery with anger.

"Whatever is going on in that incessantly reeling little mind of yours, set it straight. What I _feel_ for you—" he started, his voice laced with contempt, "—is nothing more than pure physical want. Your body has grown formidably since I last saw you, Miss Granger. Unfortunately, your mind is still that of a child's." he hissed, his backhanded compliment making her flinch.

"Therefore, I have decided that since we will be forced into these apprentice lessons, there is no reason why we should not pursue our physical needs while we are here alone." he ended with a snip. With that, he turned back and strolled to his table as if he had been asking her to grade more papers, his expression still void and cool.

Hermione gaped.

"Do close your mouth before the flies settle in." he griped.

"That's all then, sir? I will come and make these potions, and then we will—"

"—Come." he ended with a very straight face. He didn't think her face could be any more red. It was almost as bright as Weasleys hair. Though he would never show it to her, he was rolling with amusement within. She was entirely too entertaining sometimes. _And sometimes she's and unendurable twit._ he thought afterwards. For the first time in weeks, he agreed with himself.

"I assume there is a catch to this." she stated matter-of-factly after her shock had settled. She picked up her chair, taking a seat in it. Snape was surprised at her sudden coolness. Leave it to Hermione Granger to talk about her sex life to her Headmaster and bring up Terms of Agreement. He was still laughing inside.

"Of course we will keep this confidential for obvious reasons. Outside of this room, you are still a student and I am still the Headmaster. I will treat you no differently out there."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I've had enough tonight. You are dismissed." he said with an indignant wave. Hermione scoffed from her seat, fuming as she picked up her belongings and strutted towards the door.

But she stopped, a sly smirk falling onto her lips. She turned back.

"Sir." she said in the sexiest whisper she could muster. He sat very still in his seat as she approached. His teeth clenched tightly as she leaned forward, giving him view of her ample cleavage and her musky woodsy scent.

"Miss Granger, I said—"

She pressed her lips against his in a bruising kiss. His response was immediate. Without warning, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, savoring the sweet taste of Hermione Granger. She tasted of innocence and inexperience. It was enthralling. She moaned the same way she had the night before.

His hands remained rigid by his sides and he refused to move them. It would only show his weakness for her. And so he allowed the forceful kiss, enjoying it while he could until she pulled away. They were both breathing heavily, but Hermione flashed another sly smirk before briskly turning to leave the classroom.

Severus was left in his seat shocked, heated, and in desperate need of a cold shower.

/

Morning brought confusion for Hermione. Malfoy still hadn't resolved his issues with Blaise, but she helped him spruce up in the morning in an effort to catch Blaise's attention. Malfoy reluctantly allowed Hermione to slick his hair back with a little bit of gel. Even she had to admit he looked more handsome than usual. He flashed her a dashing grin before helping her get ready for her mystery man as well. Malfoy still didn't pry, only asking if the stranger was treating her well. She didn't know how to reply to that.

"He's… different. A bit rough around the edges, but I think there's someone truly caring underneath the surface of crap. Kind of like you." she said, a small smile on her lips.

"If I was straight Granger, I would have you for my own, you know. You're a catch, even with your dirty blood." Malfoy replied, a devilish smirk on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Get to class." she said with a grin. Tonight she wouldn't have to see Snape for a lesson, but she would still have to face him in class. She sighed, slapping on a scant amount of makeup and heading out the door. Malfoy had waited for her and they walked together.

Ron and Harry were already waiting there for them, their seats saved. Blaise, Malfoy, and Pansy sat together in front of the Golden Trio. Hermione tried to ignore Pansy's annoying chatter as she droned on about how her parents were buying a summer home.

"You look different, 'Mione." Ron whispered as Snape slid into class. He walked silently, most of the students not even noticing his entrance.

"I put a little makeup on today." she replied in a soft tone.

"No, I mean… you look different. Happier, maybe?" Ron protested, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at her before realization dawned on him. "Blimey, you aren't seeing Krum again, are you?!" Ron asked accusingly, his voice rising.

Snape's books slammed heavily upon the table and the class snapped to attention, surprised. "Mister Weasley, do keep your personal affairs out of my class. I don't have any tolerance for your obsession with Mr. Krum." he said, a vile smirk on his face. Hermione knew Severus had heard exactly what Ron was saying, but the professor was using it against him.

"I didn't-!" Ron started, but Harry roughly stepped on his foot. The redhead yelped, silencing afterwards.

"Page four hundred and fifty two." Snape drawled and started his quick lesson by book. It was a boring affair. Hermione was enthralled though, never losing her spirit to learn. Her eyes occasionally drifted to the professor while he was lecturing, but his eyes never met hers. She wondered if it was purposeful.

"Get your cauldrons." he demanded after his book lecture. "You will be creating _Madidus Philtra_. It is given in small amounts to intoxicate the user and cause major disorientation. You have until the end of class. Work in partners."

Rom immediately pulled Hermione to his side, shooting Harry an apologetic glance as Neville waved at them.

"Begin." Snape barked.

Hermione and Ron were the first to have their ingredients ready, Hermione doing all the actual work as she processed the ingredients and started their brew. Harry and Neville seemed to be doing adequately, if anything. Neville allowed Harry to handle most of the brewing. The rest of the class fell into very soft whispers as they talked amongst their partners about the potion. Snape wouldn't tolerate anything over a very small whisper.

"So, are you seeing him again 'Mione? I don't like it." Ron whispered louder than necessary to her, scooting closer as he pretended to actually do something.

Hermione sighed heavily, pulling her hair back into a messy bun. "Ronald, it is no concern to you who I am currently seeing. I'll have you know, it isn't Victor. Even if it was, I don't need your approval." she snapped back at him. From across the classroom, she thought she saw Severus smirk in his spot. He was patrolling the classroom, examining each of the potions. He finally came across theirs and he looked down into it. Hermione was sure it was perfect.

"Weasley. Leaving Miss Granger to do all the work?" he sneered down at Ron. "Five points for your uselessness in my class." he hissed, turning tail and moving onto Harry and Neville. More points were deducted.

Ron ignored the comment, only sneering at Snape's back and then turning his attention back to Hermione.

"C'mon 'Mione. I thought there was an 'us'." he almost whined to her and she gritted her teeth, feeling a little guilty.

"I'm sorry Ron. We just aren't there anymore. Our relationship was in the midst of war. It was fleeting and we just needed to cling to each other in that moment. I don't… I don't love you like that Ron." she whispered back, stirring the bubbling cauldron carefully.

The look on Ron's face nearly broke her heart. He was quiet for the rest of class, his eyes never meeting hers. He made failed attempts to add incorrect ingredients to the pot which she had to fix. The finished potion was good, but it wasn't excellent. Snape sneered at the both of them when they brought it up.

"I expected more."

"I know. Sorry, sir." she replied. He didn't even look into her eyes. He waved them both off dismissively. She had known he wouldn't show any extra attention in class, even with their new arrangements, but somewhere deep within it hurt. She wanted to believe there was something more—but Severus had been clear. This was a physical relationship and a means to an end.

They left in silence, Harry a bit confused at their sudden coldness towards each other. Ron pulled him away immediately, dragging him off to the dorms for guy-talk, probably. She met up with Malfoy to talk about their patrolling nights for the rest of the school year. The holidays were right around the corner and Hermione would be staying behind. They went to the Great Hall together, having breakfast and discussing their rounds.

"You and Weasel okay?" Malfoy asked after their discussion. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Ron think we're meant to be together. And I whole heartedly disagree. I can't be Molly. I can't be the housewife with 7 kids and nothing to do all day. I need… excitement!" she exclaimed in exasperation.

Malfoy grinned, patting her back and shrugging his shoulders. "You mean Mudblood Granger doesn't want to be Miss Homemaker extraordinaire?"

Hermione didn't hesitate to smack the back of his well-groomed head.

"I'll see you later, ferret."

"Laters, baby."

Hermione proceeded to her next classes and finished her day with a run in the RoR. It was ready to go as soon as she had stepped in and she could only feel relief with the first steps of her sprints.

/

The next day only brought anxiety to Severus. He walked slowly to his DADA class, almost dreading stepping in to find Hermione sitting front row center as she always did. He wasn't disappointed to see her there, her damned frizzy hair in messy locks around her pretty face. She looked well rested. Why did that make him happy?

He puzzled over the thought as he started his class, only lecturing for the day on the effects of various curses and hexes and how to remedy them. Hermione took notes diligently as always. He made it a point to not make direct eye contact with her and he only picked her raised hand when no one else would even try to answer.

Neville was frequently put on the spot by Severus, the young man shaking in his boots when he was asked a simple question about a stinging hex. The boy only felt relief when Snape didn't deduct more house points from him.

Class was a short affair. Hermione chose to sit next to Malfoy during class, avoiding Ron and Harry altogether. Harry did seem to shoot her pitied and sympathetic looks. He wanted to talk to her, but Ron was angry and he felt more entitled to the redhead at the moment. Ron shot her scathing looks the whole period which she ignored. Class couldn't end soon enough. Even Severus didn't bother picking on Hermione, sensing her frustrations with Weasley.

"Something up your arse, Weasel?" Malfoy asked as they finally filed out of class, his signature smirk directed at Ron. Hermione, grasped his arm, shaking her head.

"Shove off, you fucking rat." Ron spat back. Malfoy only laughed, turning away at Hermione's request.

"He's a loser. You know that, don't you Granger?" he asked and she shook her head.

"He's my friend. One of my best friends. I can't break off a friendship so easily Malfoy. I love him too much." she sighed, rubbing at her temples. They skipped out on the rest of classes that day. Malfoy and Hermione as Head Boy and Girl were allowed to make trips alone to Hogsmeade without parental approval.

They played hooky, having butterbeers and shopping their way through the day. Malfoy helped Hermione pick out a few sexier outfits which she reluctantly accepted. They spent most of the day relaxed. Hermione was able to have a few hours Ron and Severus free, her thoughts able to go to simple things like what to wear and how the weather was changing. It was fun and she was glad that Malfoy was able to help her get her mind off of things. Still, he remained silent about her secret man. She wished she could tell him. If she could tell anyone, it would have been him.

They made their way back by nightfall, and Hermione cursed herself for being late to the session with Snape. She changed quickly into one of the sexier outfits in her room and then headed straight for the potions lab. It was 7:05—five minutes she knew would come back and bite her in the ass later. She approached the door, rapped on it quickly, and walked in to face Severus Snape.

**A/N: Sorry about the slow updates from now on, guys. School is picking up and I have other priorities. I would love to sit here all day and knock out loads of chapters for you all though. Much love! Thanks for all the reviews. I should be updating about once a week from here on out. Please review for the chapter! (:**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Harry Potter.**

**Warning: Rated M for a reason! From here on out, things get raunchy. Enjoy.**

_Previously: They made their way back by nightfall, and Hermione cursed herself for being late to the session with Snape. She changed quickly into one of the sexier outfits in her room and then headed straight for the potions lab. It was 7:05—five minutes she knew would come back and bite her in the ass later. _

_She approached the door, rapped on it quickly, and walked in to face Severus Snape. _

_/_

Severus was diving into a worsening mood with each passing minute Hermione decided to be late. His expressionless face didn't hide the burn in his eyes as he slashed red marks angrily over each paper, not even bothering to correct the litter of mistakes on every paper. "Insolent brats." he growled, straightening the stack and moving on to the next.

Hermione didn't even wait for a reply, strolling into the room with her clicking shoes. _Clicking shoes?_ he thought to himself, but didn't want to give her the satisfaction of his attention. After all, she had made him wait an extra five minutes for her.

"I apologize for my tardiness, sir. I was… distracted." she said, fumbling on the last word. He didn't reply, continuing his grading. She paused for a moment, a soft audible sigh escaping her lips before she started on that day's potion. Severus finally looked up at her as she was walking towards the storage room and immediately was glad that her back was turned. Even he couldn't deny she was extraordinarily dressed tonight. He smirked slyly, knowing it had been for him.

Hermione had decided on a cowl-neck cashmere sweater that allowed a peek of her ample cleavage. Without that damned sports bra, Severus had a real idea now of what the actual size was. He pegged her as a large C cup. His eyes wandered down to her rear as she bent to pick out vials, lingering for a moment on the simple but pretty pencil skirt that hugged her hips. Those shoes that clicked so delicately were short heeled black sling-backs that helped her long legs seem to go on for miles.

His eyes immediately darted back down at his half-graded paper as she turned back around, coming back towards the table. He didn't have to look at her face to know she was fuming at his careless attitude towards her. _Good. Let her suffer for a moment longer. Insufferable little chit._ he smirked within, continuing to grade the last stack of papers before straightening out at his desk, finally looking up into her face.

She was already distracted though, her brows knitted together in concentration as she brewed the complicated brew, the bubbling cauldron filled with a clear-as-water potion. He knew she was making it correctly, but a small part of him wanted to make her fret even more. He stood, stepping closer to her. The tension was thick as he stepped behind her, easily looking over her small form into the perfectly boiling potion. He took a deep breath, a low grumble in his throat at her absolute perfection in her potion and in her new appearance. She was beginning to out-do **him**. He could only hope that she wouldn't dress like this for anyone else. _Sev, you're walking on very thin ice. No emotional ties, you imbecile. This is purely physical._ he chided within, another sly smirk falling on his lips as he reached out, a hand ghosting over her cashmere clothed waist before pretending to reach for a vial of crushed roots from the Forbidden Forest.

She tensed at his movements, a visible shiver running up her body. Hermione felt her hairs stand on end, every nerve ending completely aware of how close Snape was. She could smell his minty, warm breath again. It washed over her neck and spilled into her senses, taking over her small grip on control. "Professor…" she whispered.

"Severus. Outside of this classroom, I am Professor Snape. In here alone—Severus." he corrected and she almost didn't comprehend it.

"Severus." she repeated, his name rolling deliciously off of her tongue.

"Hermione." he whispered into her ear, tendrils of her thick hair tickling his nose as he leaned in. Hermione felt her knees buckling at their intimate exchange of names and she motioned to lean back against him, but he quickly stepped away. "Finish the potion. Quickly." he hissed. She wanted to whimper at his sudden disappearance, but held back. _Don't whine, you twit! You're in control, Hermione. Get it together._ she chanted to herself, nodding at him and returning to the potion.

The next hour dragged. He returned to his desk, sitting in silence as she finished the potion. His eyes never left her. She would glance at him every few minutes and constantly found his dark eyes on her face and she never felt more heated in her life. His gaze was raw and unchanging. She could see through his expressionless face into the want buried within his regard to her.

Finally the potion settled into a soft simmer, the brew changing from clear to a deep red. She took a momentary sniff at the steam coming from the cauldron, nodding at the strong scent of smoky fire coming from it. The directions noted that it would happen, so she assumed she had made it perfectly. This potion was made to heal severe burns overnight and as frequently used during the war. She had used it on herself before, actually. She smiled at her achievement, quickly vialing it and triumphantly handing it over to Severus. He took a long look into the vial, peering at it carefully before also taking a deep whiff of the potion and nodding.

"Ten points to Gryffindor." he granted after a few moments of examining her work. She smiled giddily, sending the cauldron back into the storage room and set it to clean itself with a simple charm.

She turned back around, nearly falling over in surprise to find that Snape was already in front of her, a cascade of his black hair falling over his pale skin. She swallowed thickly, a slow hand reaching up to run through his silky tresses. She brushed it back and examined his face, her lips opening slightly as her breath quickened. "Y-your hair is getting long." she commented quietly. He said nothing, grasping onto her wrist and pulling her in even closer.

She welcome the bruising kiss that assaulted her, her mouth pressing harder against his as he pushed her back onto one of the lab tables, promptly picking her up with ease and sitting her on the tough wood. Her skirt hitched up baring her golden, smooth skin. His hands were roaming now and she sat as still as possible, allowing him to feeling over her slender back and waist. She couldn't suppress the soft groan as his hands ghosted over the sides of her breasts, her nipples peaking beneath the soft sweater. Then his adventurous hands slipped beneath her sweater and she groaned at the feel of his warm, rough palms squeezing her waist, his thumbs running circles over her belly.

Severus couldn't get enough. No matter how far his hands roamed, no matter how tightly he held on to her, he could feel his control chipping away. Her skin was softer than he could have ever imagined. His calloused warm hands slid a few inches beneath her sweater, his thumbs running over her toned stomach before her whimper pierced his conscience. He glanced up at her face only to find it flushed and wanting. He smirked slyly. He still had it.

Hermione's control had been long gone by now, her hands now moving up to cup his face as she leaned in for another deep kiss. It was a wrestling match of tongues and lips, hot nipping and panting escaping them as they dueled. Her grip remained in his wondrously silky hair and he couldn't hold back the surprise of her aggressiveness. Her long legs wrapped around his middle as he leaned into the desk, pulling him closer. He could feel the heat from her core emanating through his own tightening pants, his teeth gritting as she grinded against him. _Merlin, she's a minx. Where did she learn this from? Weasley?!_ he asked himself, pushing the thought of the ignorant redhead out of his mind immediately.

"Miss Granger…" he said in a low whisper, his dulcet tones rough with want. She stopped momentarily to listen to him, her breath quickened by their feverish snogging. "Are you quite sure you're a virgin?" he asked, his voice serious, but his eyes filled with amusement.

She couldn't stop the peal of laughter that burst from her, nodding as she wiped away the corners of her eyes. She couldn't help but laugh at the situation completely. Here she was, her legs wrapped around _the_ Severus Snape, his hair completely mussed from her hands, and her desperate grinding on him for some form of relief. If anyone were to walk in right now, she would probably die on the spot. With that thought, she glanced at the door. Severus quickly understood, waving his hand at it and locking it immediately.

"Yes. I'm a virgin. Well… yes." she started, then ending off in an infuriatingly incomplete thought. He growled.

"Well?"

"Well, I have done some experimenting on my own. Nothing too extreme really." she said in a small embarrassed voice.

"Do tell." he pressed, his black eyes glinting with desire and amusement.

Hermione shot him a scathing look, unwinding her legs from his waist, but leaving her skirt hitched up around her thighs. She caught his eyes glancing down at the obvious wet spot on her pristine white undies, her face flushing even redder as she yanked the hemline of her skirt down. His hands came to stop her though, pushing her skirt back up. "Do tell." he pressed once more in a lower voice, his hands on her knees.

"I just… I use my fingers. That's all." she admitted quickly. His hands inched up her thighs, his thumbs pressing in and massaging the taut skin.

"In detail, Miss Granger." he said in a very 'professor' like voice which made her shiver.

"I use my fingers to pleasure myself, Sir." she squeaked, gasping as his hands moved up a few more inches, dangerously close to her soaked panties.

"How so, Miss Granger?" he asked again, his hands staying where they were. She understood now. With each admittance of her risqué behavior, he would give her the release she desperately wanted.

"I… I use my fingers to rub my clitoris." she whispered in a huffed voice, her head rolling back as his hands moved up a little more, massaging her inner thighs at the edge of her panties.

"And I use my other hand to massage my breasts." she continued, gripping the sides of the table as his right thumb ran over the cloth of her underwear, coating his finger in her slick juices.

"And?" he asked for more, his thumb barely slipping beneath the cotton of her knickers.

"Oh, please." she whimpered, pushing her hips towards him, but he didn't give.

"And what else, Hermione?" he asked again. She could feel her body quaking under his expert touch.

"And I finger myself until I orgasm." she ended. He leaned in, whispering into her ear.

"You're a very sly witch, Hermione."

He quickly yanked the fabric of her panties out of the way, running his thumb over the swollen folds of her womanhood. She squeezed her eyes shut at his warm touch on her most intimate area, reclining back onto the table. Severus hovered at the apex of her thighs, his eyes never moving from her face as he stroked her slowly, languidly. "Do you touch yourself like this, Miss Granger?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

She shook her head no. "It feels… you feel better." she replied, gasping as his finger brushed over a sensitive bundle of nerves. "Oh, right there!" she gasped, her hips bucking into her hands.

He couldn't tear his eyes from the woman on his lab table, seducing him with her honeyed voice and voluptuous body. He quickly moved his thumb up to flick her clit, using his middle and ring finger to dive into her hot passage. She moaned on the desk, writhing as he felt within her for that nub of flesh he knew would make her scream. Her fingers could never be long enough to reach it. He finally found it at the upper wall of her womanhood and pressed on it gently.

"Oh, my…" she gasped, moaning and bucking up into his hands. "Severus, I… please." she begged, her chest heaving as he continued to barely press on the sensitive spot, his thumb still circling her clit.

"Do you need release, Hermione?" he asked, reveling in the tight slickness of her passage.

"Yes." she replied back to him in almost a sob, her thighs shaking with evident need. She was close.

"This will be quick and fast, Hermione. Hold on to the table." he directed and she complied, biting her lip as she gripped onto the smooth wood of the desk.

Hermione's back arched off the table as she felt Severus' fingers pivoting deeply within her, pounding in and out of her faster than her own hands could go. She could feel the knot within her belly, swelling and burning with the desire to release. His fast fingers had her at the edge within a minute and by this time she didn't realize she was already screaming his name.

Severus watched in awe as the most beautiful creature he had ever seen was calling his name. He almost came on the spot as she fell off the edge and her tight orifice squeezed and contracted around his fingers.

Her body convulsed into the strongest orgasm she'd ever had and she could feel the gush of hot wetness between her thighs coating his hand. Severus rode out the orgasm as long as he could, his fingers gently rubbing at the spongy spot within her, causing hot contractions and quivers to shake through her body. His own arousal was pressing against his pants almost painfully now, but he ignored it. She was too beautiful for him to give way to his needs. He could deal with it later.

Hermione lay gasping for breath on the table, her legs pressing tightly together as he slipped his fingers from her entrance.

"Miss Granger…" he called out softly, pulling out his wand and scourgifying the area of their evidence. "Are you alright?" he asked, his hand coming down and running through her hair.

She smiled lazily up at him, nodding as she sat up. Her body was still tingling and she laughed, climbing off of the table quickly pulling on her skirt. "Severus that was… incredible." she said for lack of better word. "But we have a situation." she added. Snape quirked a curious brow at her as she approached him, her heels still clicking.

"This situation." she whispered, her hand slipping into his cloak to press against his erection through his pants. He hissed, leaning back onto the desk as she rubbed slowly along his rigid length.

"Not tonight, Miss Granger." he replied in a regretful voice, his eyes shooting up to the clock. "I have kept you far too late and the Head Girl can't be caught sleeping in class. Go." he said, taking her wrist away from his pants and gently pushing her towards the door.

"But Sir! It's hardly fair." she whined, but she knew he was right. They had spent too long in the room. People would become suspicious.

"Nothing I can't take care of myself, Miss Granger. Go to bed." he replied, waving her off towards the door.

"Sir, I…" she started to argue, but he shot her a warning look. Anymore begging and he would take her in that very spot. She knew better. She sighed, bidding him a quick goodnight and heading out the door.

Severus slumped into the seat of his desk, quickly pulling out his rock hard erection and stroking himself to completion, her name on his lips.

/

Morning brought on more confusion for Hermione. She woke before Malfoy, sneaking out to the library, her only sanctuary, to think things over. The night before had been exhilarating. She hadn't ever known that Snape—no, Severus—could be so… hot. She visualized their heated session, his silky hair sheathing his face, and his burning onyx eyes watching her face as she fell over the edge into oblivion.

Her panties were wet again. She groaned, her head plopping onto the wooden table. She pushed her Arithmancy book aside, the thick tome heavy against her hand. She didn't know what this feeling was inside of her. She had never felt this way for Krum or even Ron when they had their brief romance together. She could feel her heart beating wildly at the thought of Severus, her breath quickening, and the same unbelievably hot clenching between her legs. How did he do this to her?

"Fuck." she cursed under her breath, her legs pushing together tightly in an effort for some relief.

"'Mione?" a very familiar voice called from behind her—a voice she didn't want to hear. He immediately cancelled out her sudden desires. She turned, forcing a fake smile at Ron. "You alright? You look feverish." he commented, reaching out with his clammy hand and pushing it against her forehead. Hermione squirmed in her seat, pulling herself away and standing up promptly.

"I'm fine. Just thought I'd get some studying in." she replied in her best fake chipper voice. "Listen, Ron. I'm sorry about the other day. I didn't mean to… you know, turn you down like that. We're best friends, right?" she asked, trying to clear the air of the obvious tension between them.

A dark look passed over his freckled face before he nodded, forcing his own phony smile. "Yeah, 'Mione. Best friends. But whoever this guy is, he'd better be treating you right. And I'll always be here. Well… you know." he ended, meaning to sound like a friend but Hermione knew exactly what he meant. He would always be waiting for her to come around and she knew that she never would.

She only nodded and they walked together to the Great Hall for breakfast. Malfoy met her there as well, shooting her a confused look. Usually she always waited for him and they would eat together, but she just wasn't in the mood to talk today. She returned his gaze with a look of apology and 'I'll tell you later'. It seemed to be acceptable for the time being.

She forced down some toast and pumpkin juice, her eyes darting over to the Professors table to find Snape missing. She couldn't help the disappointment that bloomed in her chest and berated herself for even feeling that way afterwards. She couldn't be developing feelings for the Headmaster. It wasn't right. This was supposed to be strictly physical, but she could feel herself falling into his witty charm and mysterious persona. There was so much she wanted to learn from him.

She walked slowly to Potions, biding her time. She didn't know why, but she waited to be the last one to file in. Snape had his back turned when she peered in and she took the opportunity to walk quickly to her spot, taking a seat and pulling out her book. His eyes met hers for the briefest moment, but he showed no acknowledgment of the previous night. Another pang of disappointment blossomed in her heart.

She sighed, only half listening to his lesson and barely working her way through the simple potion they were making. She worked alone today, not even bothering to pair up since Ron was with Harry and Neville had decided to cozy up to Luna. Blaise and Malfoy had decided to work together and Pansy was in the hospital wing with some kind of flu. She sighed, easily finishing off her potion first and placed the vial on Snape's table. He glanced up at her for the second time in class, taking a quick look at the potion and nodding.

"Five points to Gryffindor, Miss Granger." he commented, marking her off with an 'Outstanding' and bidding her good day.

"Oi! Why does Granger get house points and we never do when we have a perfect potion?!" a Hufflepuff boy she didn't recognize accused. Snape shot him a sharp glare before hissing back his reply.

"You, Mr. Snoutman, have never approached with a perfect potion since the beginning of your first year, no matter who your partner is. Ten points from Hufflepuff for questioning me."

The boy sank back into his chair, his cheeks blazing red.

"Good day, Miss Granger." Snape dismissed her again and she nodded. At least one of them had control of the situation. Severus wasn't some blithering idiot that didn't know his emotions from his physical needs like she was. Severus knew exactly how to approach this situation and keep it separate from her education. He knew when to be 'Severus' and when to be 'Professor Snape'.

She nodded at him, a small smile on her lips. "Good day, Professor."

"Miss Granger." he called before she left. The class was chattering softly, their attention focused on the potion they were still brewing.

"Yes, sir?" she asked, pausing at the door.

"Bring your cloak tomorrow." he said, his onyx eyes meeting hers in a moment of understanding. She nodded, heading out the door and wondering why in Merlin's name they would be needing the invisibility cloak for tomorrow night. There was one thing about Snape that always kept her on the toes. She never knew what he would have in stock for her and she couldn't deny it now—it thrilled her.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed it. As for the question about my other fic—I'm having some difficulty trying to find a plotline to follow that will keep me interested enough to finish it. For now, it's going to be on a temporary hiatus until I can find some more inspiration. Thanks for reading this chapter and please review! Let me know what you think (:**


End file.
